HC Deb 02 April 1941 vol 370 cc1118-9
Mr. Assheton

I beg to move, in page 10, line 16, to leave out from the first "to," to "there," inline 17, and to insert "that service."

This Amendment and the two following which stand in the name of my right hon. Friend are of a drafting character and seek to put right difficulties which arose on the Clause as drafted. I do not think the Committee will find any difficulty in accepting it.

Amendment agreed to.

Mr. Silkin

I beg to move, in page 10, line 20, to leave out "seven" and to insert "fourteen."

Under the Clause as it stands, if a person has been in employment within seven days of being called up for service, the employer is under an obligation to reinstate him at the end of the war. It is suggested that an employer may give a man a certain amount of time off before the man is called up. He may give him a week, and in that way terminate the employment so that the man is not actually in employment on being called up, and the employer thus ceases to have the obligation to reinstate. I want to extend the time from seven days to fourteen days. If a man is called up on a Wednesday and finishes his employment on the Saturday week before, the employer ceases to be under an obligation to reinstate. I feel that the period of seven days should be extended to fourteen days, to be on the safe side, and I hope that the Minister will agree that the Amendment is reasonable.

Mr. Assheton

My right hon. Friend is prepared to accept the Amendment.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendments made:

In page 10, line 23, at the end, insert: In his employment at the termination of his service as a person called up or called out. In line 28, at the end, insert: and in Subsection (2) of the said Section for the words ' that service ' there shall be substituted the words 'the service of the employés as persons called up or called out.' In line 28, at the end, insert: (3) Where, by virtue of any provision of the Naval and Maritime Forces (Temporary Release from Service) Act, 1940, or the Armed Forces (Conditions of Service) Act, 1939, a person called up or called out has, at any time (whether before or after the commencement of this Act) before such date as His Majesty may by Order in Council appoint, been released from service in the Royal Navy or the Royal Marines, or from Army service or Air Force service, or from obligations which he is under by reason of the embodiment of any part of the Territorial Army or the Auxiliary Air Force, his service in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army, Air Force, Territorial Army or Auxiliary Air Force shall not, for the purposes of the said Section fourteen, be deemed to have terminated by reason only of his release as aforesaid. An Order in Council under this Sub-section may appoint different dates in relation to different Forces or parts of Forces.—[Mr. Assheton.]

Clause, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 11 ordered to stand part of the Bill.