HC Deb 15 March 1948 vol 448 cc1695-6
51. Mr. Bossom

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will endeavour to cause German prisoners of war who work on farms to make their working hours conform as nearly as possible to those of the ordinary agricultural workers, and so avoid the need for overtime payments to other workers who have to fit in with the prisoner of war working arrangements.

Mr. T. Williams

County agricultural executive committees have standing instructions to do everything possible to ensure that the hours of work of German prisoners coincide with the normal hours of work of farm workers.

Mr. Bossom

Does not the Minister know that this is not being carried out? If he will come into Kent he will find that there is half-an-hour's difference between the time the German prisoners and the ordinary workers arrive? Can he correct this?

Mr. Williams

I know that in Kent a decision on hours was taken after consultation with the National Farmers' Union and Workers Union, and the decision reached after those consultations applies all over Kent.

Mr. Bossom

That is not happening. There is half-an-hour's difference between the times at which the German prisoners and the ordinary workers arrive. Will the Minister put this right?

Mr. Williams

I understand that the contrary is the case.

55. Mr. Skeffington-Lodge

asked the Minister of Agriculture what proportion of the prisoners of war remaining in this country are being allocated to individual farmers; and what to the farmworkers pools being organised by his agricultural committees.

59. Mr. York

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is the number of prisoners of war allowed to remain in this country to the nearest convenient date; and what is the quota allotted to each of the three Ridings of Yorkshire.

Mr. T. Williams

In England and Wales up to 6th March, 14,952 German prisoners of war had been given civilian status as farm workers and 865 as domestic workers in German civilian hostels. Of the farm workers, 8,578 were in private farm employment and 6,374 in the employment of Agricultural Executive Committees The numbers of German civilian farm workers allocated to Yorkshire are: East Riding 338, North Riding 162 and West Riding 502.

Mr. Skeffington-Lodge

Is my right hon. Friend aware that farmers like to stick to the men they know and the men who know all about their work, and, having regard to this, is not the proportion in the farmworkers' pools rather too large? Would it not be better to let individual farmers enter into engagements with individual prisoners on a bigger scale?

Mr. Williams

My hon. Friend must be aware that we have never stood in the way of that happening.