§ 7. Sir H. Williamsasked the Minister of Labour in view of the restrictions placed upon the work of private employment agents during the war and the increase of restrictions upon that work under the Control of Engagement Order, proposed in Cmd. 6568, what proposals he has for the restoration of the business of those private employment agents, now in the services, upon their return to civilian life.
§ 10. Sir Leonard Lyleasked the Minister of Labour, whether, as the reason for the non-approval of well-known and established workers employment agencies was the difficulty of fitting them into the war effort, he will now consider fitting them into the peace effort by approving them under the new Control of Engagement Order proposed in Cmd. 6568.
§ 14. Major Petoasked the Minister of Labour whether, in the post-war transition period employment agencies will be permitted to function freely or whether the proposed new Control of Engagement Order will compel the same classes of persons, as is the case in war-time, to seek employment at the labour exchanges.
§ Mr. BevinI am not yet able to say what will be the position of employment agencies under the proposed new Control of Engagement Order. I would, however, point out that the proposals in Cmd. 6568 relate to any interim period between the defeat of Germany and the defeat of Japan. No proposals have yet been put forward relating to the period following the conclusion of all hostilities.
§ Sir H. WilliamsHaving regard to the fact that the private employment agents are much more efficient than the Appointments Board of my right hon. Friend's Department, will he not interfere too much with these private agents?
§ Mr. BevinFrom the implication made by my hon. Friend, I gather that his standards of judgment of efficiency and mine are entirely different.
§ Sir H. WilliamsDoes not my right hon. Friend get any correspondence from the unfortunate people who are registered at Sardinia House?
§ Sir L. LyleCan my right hon. Friend make it clear whether it is his intention to try to stop these private employment agencies after the war?
§ Mr. BevinNo, Sir. I have already replied to my hon. Friends before that I have neither power nor intention to decide what shall happen after the war. The position of these businesses is exactly the same as other concentrated industries.
§ Mr. GallacherIs it not the case that these businesses have as their main concern, the making of money?
§ 16. Sir John Mellorasked the Minister of Labour whether, upon application, he will supply to private employment agencies lists of vacancies notified to his Ministry's Appointments Department in the same way as such lists were formerly supplied to trades unions employment bureaux from the supplementary register.
§ Mr. BevinNo, Sir. I do not consider that existing circumstances call for any extension of the arrangement referred to by my hon. Friend.
§ Sir J. MellorMight I ask why private employment agencies are treated with this invidious distinction as compared with the trade unions?
§ Sir Waldron SmithersAre any lists of vacancies being submitted by any of the Minister's registries to the trade union bureaux now?
§ 17. Sir J. Mellorasked the Minister of Labour what redress a restricted applicant will have under the Control of Engagement Order, proposed in Cmd. 6568, when the official exchanges fail to offer such person employment satisfactory to that person's requirements.
§ Mr. BevinI am not at present in a position to answer detailed questions on the provisions of the proposed new Control of Engagement Order suggested in Cmd. 6568 which I have at present under consideration. I would, however, remind my hon. Friend that the proposals relate to a period when it is presumed that we shall still be at war and as stated in paragraph 4 of the White Paper, the aim of H.M. Government will be, while seeking to mitigate the severity of the existing labour controls and while paying such regard as is possible to the natural desires of workers to seek work where they please and of employers to engage labour freely, to ensure that the available resources of man-power are employed in the places where, and on the tasks in which, they are most needed in the national interest.
§ Sir J. MellorWill the Minister inform hon. Members who are specially interested in this matter as soon as he is ready to answer points of detail?
§ Mr. BevinI shall make a statement, I presume, to the House when the war with Germany is over but I cannot decide these things until I know what demand will be made upon the country for the war with Japan.