§ 57. Mr. Sloanasked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that a magistrate in Coventry has on several occasions refused to comply with the request of the Ministry of Labour to help the war 1057 effort by returning to work as a skilled craftsman; and whether it is his intention to recommend his removal from the bench?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralI am not aware that a magistrate in Coventry has refused to comply with such a request as is stated in my hon. Friend's Question. In any event, if it were thought that a person was improperly refusing to return to work as a skilled craftsman the appropriate course would be to issue a direction to him to do so. I have ascertained that no direction has been issued in any case answering to the description in the Question.
§ Mr. SloanIs the Solicitor-General not aware that this particular magistrate was one of those who sat on the bench and sentenced the four "Jeans" from Scotland to 14 days' imprisonment for refusing to obey a direction?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralIf my hon. Friend will provide the details and the names, further inquiries will willingly be made, but my hon. Friend will appreciate, when he considers the answer I have given, that inquiries have been made on the present facts. Naturally, we are most anxious that the suggestion made by my hon. Friend should be probed to the full.