§ 63. Mr. Wilfrid Robertsasked the Minister of Agriculture how many ex- Servicemen and women have been accepted for training under his scheme; and how many have been refused.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsUp to 31st October, 477 men and women had been accepted for training and 69 applications had been rejected.
§ Mr. RobertsOn what grounds were the applications refused?
§ Mr. WilliamsOn the ground of unsuitability.
§ 64. Mr. W. Robertsasked the Minister of Agriculture what classes of persons it is intended to exclude from the advantages of his agricultural training scheme by paragraph three of the scheme.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsAgricultural training under the Government's Vocational Training Scheme will be available to all applicants who are accepted by the Ministry of Labour and National Service as satisfying the conditions of eligibility of that scheme and who satisfy my Department that they intend to seek and are physically and otherwise suitable for a permanent livelihood on the land. No particular classes of persons are being excluded from the scheme.
§ Mr. RobertsWill the Minister explain briefly in ordinary language what paragraph 3, under which men are excluded, does in fact mean?
§ Mr. WilliamsSince it is the Ministry of Labour and National Service who are interviewing these applicants, perhaps it would be for that Department to interpret paragraph 3.
§ Mr. RobertsIs the Minister aware that the statement was sent out by his Department?