§ 51. Mr. Parkerasked the Minister without Portfolio what is the machinery through which the Production Council works; and what measure of control it exercises in the allocation of national resources between war, export and civilian needs?
§ The Minister without Portfolio (Mr. Arthur Greenwood)The function of the Production Council is to give general directions as to the organisation and the priority of production for war purposes, in accordance with the policy laid down by the War Cabinet. The Council gives its directions through the machinery of the competent Government Departments. For that part of its work which consists in the allocation of manufacturing capacity between Departments, the Council has at its disposal the machinery of the Central Priority Department. As regards the last part of the Question, all other needs are 27 subordinate to war purposes, and the composition of the Production Council enables it to exercise a very full measure of control in the allocation of our national resources.