HC Deb 10 February 1947 vol 433 cc1379-80
57. Mr. Wyatt

asked the Minister of Labour how many Government representatives there are at present in Germany interviewing displaced persons with a view to placing them in employment in this country; how long the Government's representatives have been in Germany; and how many displaced persons they have so far found suitable for employment in this country.

Mr. Isaacs

Under the scheme for recruiting displaced persons for hospital domestic work, hitherto in force, two officers of my Department have been engaged in interviewing displaced persons since September, 1946. One thousand three hundred and seventy-two women recruited under this scheme have already started work in British sanatoria and hospitals, and several hundreds more, who have been passed as suitable, will be brought here as soon as possible. The inflow is being stepped up by some hundreds a week, and there are prospects of the demand being satisfied at an early date. The organisation for classifying and selecting displaced persons for employment in this country, to which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister referred on 18th February in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Solihull (Mr. M. Lindsay), is being set up, and officers of my Department will be allocated for the purpose.

Mr. K. Lindsay

Will their power be limited to interviewing, or will they have additional powers of recruitment?

Mr. Isaacs

Under the new scheme they will be given power to find out the capacity and to bring persons over here, if there is available employment for which they are suited without further delay.

Mr. Sydney Silverman

Can my right hon. Friend say how many aliens there are now in this country who are forbidden to work owing to the terms of their entry permits, imposed by the Home Office; and when he is considering the question of bringing in aliens for permanent employment, will he consider whether the restrictions upon those already here may not now be reconsidered?

Mr. Isaacs

I could not give the information asked for in the first part of the question. I certainly give the undertaking asked for in the second part.

Mr. Teeling

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are in our Colonies, notably in Malta, a number of people who are unemployed who would like to come to this country; and would he consult with the Colonial Secretary before proceeding, in order to take people from those countries first?

Mr. Isaacs

That is an entirely different question. I think I have answered very fully the Question put to me.