HC Deb 15 December 1947 vol 445 cc1462-3
62. Mr. Dye

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many officials of the Labour Department of the Norfolk War Agricultural Executive Committee, serving in West Norfolk, have recently been dismissed or suspended; and for what reasons.

Mr. T. Williams

Three officers of the Committee have recently been suspended on account of irregularities in the use of prisoner-of-war labour. After a special inquiry two of them have been dismissed forthwith and one has been given a month's notice.

Mr. Dye

Can my right hon. Friend say why the officer who laid the information showing the irregularities, was himself dismissed, in view of the fact that further allegations are made about the relationship between the officers and the farmers concerned?

Mr. Williams

As a matter of fact the County Executive Committee set up a special tribunal to examine the whole of the evidence relating to this case, and it was only after they had carefully gone into all the facts, including those relating to the person referred to by my hon. Friend, that they finally recommended to the County Executive Committee that all three persons should be dismissed. As the chairman of the specially set up tribunal of three was a magistrate, I am satisfied that their recommendation was the right one.

Mr. Dye

How can my right hon. Friend say that he is satisfied with the dismissal of a man against whom no charge was made and whose only action was to reveal to the Committee the irregularities that existed?

Mr. Williams

This small tribunal consisted of two farmers and a labour representative of the Agriculture Executive Committee who was chairman of the Committee, and I am quite satisfied that after they had heard all the evidence, they reached the right decision.