HC Deb 01 November 1948 vol 457 cc516-7
53. Mr. J. Hynd

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is satisfied that the need for agricultural workers is now being adequately met; and whether he anticipates any shortage of such labour in the coming year.

The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture (Mr. George Brown)

The supply of workers is reasonably adequate to meet farmers' current needs, both regular and seasonal. The needs of the agricultural expansion programme will require further recruitment, but I am hopeful that farmers will be successful in maintaining recent progress in building up their regular staffs, and that they will, with the assistance of the Departments concerned, be able to find the additional labour required for seasonal work.

Mr. Hynd

In view of the fact that the Minister does not seem to be certain that the needs will be met in the next season, can be say that he and his colleagues are satisfied that the scheme for the employment of German ex-prisoner-of-war labour should now be terminated, when many of these ex-prisoners are anxious to stay and assist?

Mr. Brown

Yes, Sir. The farmers were given the chance to apply for individual Germans to be transferred to them up to 23rd October, and the only Germans who are going back are those who are remaining after that date in committee employment. Our definite policy is to reduce committee labour, to encourage the building up by farmers of their own regular, and even their own seasonal, labour requirements. It is necessary to ensure that first British, then Polish and E.V.W. labour has preference in the filling of the vacancies we have.

Sir Peter Macdonald

Is it not a fact that county agricultural committees have found that the only way they can build up a labour force in this country is by building houses for these men? What preference is given to the rural areas to build more agricultural cottages?

Mr. Brown

The hon. Gentleman, as he goes round, must by now have seen that we are building many cottages for farmworkers that are being tenanted by farmworkers for the first time in over a quarter of a century.

Mr. Baldwin

Is the Minister aware that the Minister of Health is refusing licences to people to build houses for their farmworkers? Will he now ask his colleague to make it possible for these cottages to be built which will cost the taxpayer and ratepayer nothing at all?