§ 60 and 61. Mr. Daggarasked the Minister of Labour (1) whether he is aware that men are being discharged at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Usk, Monmouthshire, and that as other employment becomes available in the area in which the factory is situated it appears that it is only for men who reside in the district covered by the employment exchange of that area; and will he take steps to ensure that men living in localities where new industries are not being established will be afforded equal opportunity to share that employment;
(2) to what extent employment at the places, the names of which he has been given, is reserved only for persons residing in the areas covered by the employment exchanges in those particular places.
§ Mr. IsaacsI am aware of the discharges which are being made at the Royal Ordnance Factory in Usk. Employment in this area and in other areas, the names of which the hon. Member has given me, is not reserved for local residents. The general rule applies here, as in all other areas, that when vacancies are notified suitable applicants for work on the register of the local office are considered for submission in the first place but if a vacancy cannot be filled in this way it is circulated over a wider area.
§ Mr. DaggarDoes it not follow that people in the area covered by the exchange receive an advantage over those who do not reside in the area?
§ Mr. IsaacsSurely, it is an advantage to the person residing in an area to get a job in that area and a disadvantage to the man living miles away to bring him from his home to another job.
§ Mr. DaggarDoes it mean that those people who do not reside in that particular area in which a factory is situated do not get the same option as those who do reside in the area?
§ Mr. IsaacsIf the hon. Member will give me any specifications of these grievances I will be glad to look into them and communicate with him.