37. Mr. Scott-Elliotasked the Minister of Labour how many Poles have been placed in employment since 1st January, 1947; and how many of these have been placed in coalmining and agriculture, respectively.
§ 36. Sir Frank Sandersonasked the Minister of Labour the number of Poles in this country who have already taken up work in the mines and in agriculture respectively.
§ Mr. G. Isaacs23,746 Poles have been placed in civilian employment, all but 461 of whom have been placed since 1st January; 2,042 of these have taken employment in coalmining, and 3,936 in agricultural work.
Mr. Scott-ElliotIs my right hon. Friend satisfied that, as far as possible, these Poles are being placed in essential 2024 industries which are in serious need of male labour?
§ Mr. IsaacsYes, Sir. The most essential industries at the moment are mining and agriculture, and the numbers coming in are increasing. There are over 2,000 actually in the mines, 956 in training, and the training output is about 300 a week.
§ Mr. OsborneCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether the Poles who have gone into the mining industry have been allowed to join the miners' union?
§ Mr. IsaacsNot without notice.