HC Deb 03 December 1941 vol 376 cc1118-9
22. Sir Percy Hurd

asked the Minister of Information whether he is aware of the difficulty experienced in many regions in completing the personnel of invasion committees and oilier war emergency organisations; and whether, seeing that these new committees undertake work originally allotted to local information committees of the Ministry of Information, he will disband, or greatly reduce, those latter committees, and release eligible men and women members for urgent local war service?

Mr. Bracken

My hon. Friend is mistaken in thinking that the functions of invasion committees and information committees are in any way identical. The Ministry of Information has no responsibility for invasion committees.

Sir P. Hurd

Is my right hon. Friend not aware that, according to information given to Members of Parliament by the regional officials, there is considerable overlapping between the two sets of committees, and that the members of these local information committees could do better service on urgent war work?

Mr. Bracken

I must remind my hon. Friend that there is no conscription for these committees. They are local volunteer units. If they do not meet, or if they are moribund, we do our best to wind them up, but in many cases they are functioning very well. We do not want to abolish committees which are working well and doing good public service.

Sir P. Hurd

That is not the information of Members of Parliament.

Major Lyons

By whom are the members of these committees appointed?