HC Deb 03 February 1948 vol 446 cc1618-9
14. Mr. W. Shepherd

asked the Minister of Labour whether the application of the Printing Trades Alliance to be represented on the Joint Industrial Council for the industry has been granted; or why it has been refused.

Mr. Isaacs

The Printing Trades Alliance is not represented on the Joint Industrial Council. I have no information about any recent application for representation, but this is entirely a matter for the Council.

Mr. Shepherd

Is it not a fact that the Printing Trades Alliance has applied for representation on the Joint Industrial Council and has been refused, and is not the right hon. Gentleman responsible in this connection, seeing that he was one of the men who tried to stamp this organisation out of existence before he became a Minister?

Mr. Isaacs

That is a most unreasonable allegation to make and there is absolutely no foundation for it. If the hon. Gentleman has information which indicates that the Alliance have made a recent application, he should say so categorically. As Minister of Labour and as an ex-member of that industry, I do not know that this Alliance has made an application for a very considerable time for representation on the Council.

Mr. Shepherd

Will the right hon. Gentleman accept my assurance that they have made that application and that he, before he became Minister, tried to drive this organisation out of existence?

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Gentleman must remember that imputations and insinuations are out of Order on a supplementary question and would not be allowed on the Notice Paper.

Mr. Isaacs

If the hon. Gentleman inquires of that Alliance, he will find that before I became Minister I was the one person in the industry who endeavoured to overcome the immense difficulties in the way of bringing about a better relationship.