§ 2. Mr. Rhys Daviesasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the management at the Alms Hill Labour Training Centre, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, insist that trainees must reach the place by 7 a.m.; that, owing to transport difficulties, those resident in the Wigan and Bolton areas must in some cases get up at about 3 a.m. and waste time on the way to reach the centre at that hour; that complaints are made about messroom accommodation there; and will he cause inquiries to be made into the administration of this centre, more particularly that covering shift A and arrange that the hours of training at the centre shall, if possible, correspond to transport facilities?
§ The Minister of Labour (Mr. Ernest Bevin)I am satisfied that it is necessary in the interests of efficient training for trainees on the first shift at the Manchester Training Centre to attend at 7 a.m. Those who cannot conveniently do this from their homes are normally expected to go into lodgings near the centre under conditions similar to those applicable to transferred war workers. To assist trainees who continue to live at home arrangements have now been made for a special bus to meet trains from Wigan and Bolton which are due at Manchester at approximately 6.50 a.m. This should enable trainees from these towns to travel by a later train than formerly. No complaints have been made to the centre authorities about messroom accommodation.
§ Mr. DaviesDoes that mean that the right hon. Gentleman intends to uproot these people from their homes just for a few weeks' training; and do we under- 486 stand that the management at the training centre will allow them to enter the centre even though they are a little late if the lateness is due to transport difficulties?
§ Mr. BevinThe arrival of the people who come by train and bus is determined, of course, by transport arriving on time. I am not uprooting these people any more than other people, but I cannot have training centres everywhere, and so I have to bring the people to the training centres.