HC Deb 10 April 1941 vol 370 cc1667-9
6. Mr. Mainwaring

asked the Minister of Labour, why it is that hundreds of women residing in a certain area, having been urged to volunteer for work at an ordnance factory and, having been interviewed and accepted at their respective exchanges, are now informed that no more women are to be engaged from this area?

Mr. Bevin

Recruitment of further women from the area to which I presume my hon. Friend refers has been temporarily suspended, pending the provision of additional transport facilities. My Department is co-operating with the Ministry of Transport in the matter.

Mr. Mainwaring

Has the right hon. Gentleman any knowledge of transport arrangements having been provisionally made and since suspended, thus accounting for the failure to give these women employment?

Mr. Bevin

If the hon. Member will give me particulars, I shall be glad to look into the matter. I took the view that it was no use including women for such long journeys as those involved unless transport arrangements were provided, and I insisted upon the transport arrangements being provided first.

12. Miss Rathbone

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that many women are hampered in offering themselves for National Service by the difficulty of ascertaining the essential facts as to qualifications for, and conditions of, service or of training for the various forms of service, such as the three forces auxiliary to the Armed Forces, the nursing service, the Women's Land Army and munition work; and will he, therefore, issue a single leaflet or pamphlet summarising these essential facts?

Mr. Bevin

Women desiring information about opportunities for war work should ask the Employment Exchange for advice, where leaflets describing the work and conditions in the various auxiliary services are also available. I do not think this information could usefully be compressed into a single leaflet.

Miss Rathbone

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that women, especially those in the country, find the greatest difficulty in getting information about all the services, and that it would save an immense amount of time to the Employment Exchanges and everybody else concerned if the information could be made available? Will he consider a suggestion on this point?

Mr. Bevin

I have adopted a policy of arranging special interviewing machinery through which women can ask their questions and get their answers. When that machinery is in operation, I think it will prove far more effective than asking people to consider documents which they do not understand.

Miss Cazalet

Would it not be a good thing to set up a few permanent information centres, apart from the Employment Exchanges, to which women could go for information about employment?

Mr. Bevin

No, Sir, I am very anxious to keep this matter within the Employment Exchanges. I am sure I shall not be misunderstood when I point out that the Employment Exchange system was not primarily established for what are known as the working classes. These are Employment Exchanges, and every citizen dealing with employment should go through exactly the same interviewing process, and then there will be a better understanding of what the Employment Department is for.