§ 25. Mr. Thorneasked the Minister of Labour how many Italian civilians are doing work in this country; to what extent they have joined the various trade unions; and if they are receiving the trade union rate of pay for the job they are doing.
§ Mr. BevinApproximately 10,600 Italians have been registered under the International Labour Force (Registration of Germans, Austrians and Italians) Order, 1941, and at the date of the latest inquiry less than 150 were registered with my Ministry as unemployed. Of these 44 343 men were over 60 years of age and 6 women over 50. All but an insignificant number of those registered under the Order were resident in this country prior to the war, in the majority of cases for a considerable number of years. In those cases in which my permission under the Aliens Order 1920 (as amended) is required, before an alien may accept employment, its grant is conditional upon wages and conditions being identical with those which apply to British subjects employed on similar work in the same district. I have no information about the extent to which Italians are members of trades unions
§ Commander Locker-LampsonIs the Minister aware that in the last war we employed German prisoners?