CONTROL OF EMPLOYMENT BILL. (Hansard, 21 September 1939)

§ EARL STANHOPE

My Lords, I beg to move that the House do now resolve itself into Committee on this Bill. In doing so, I would like to apologise to Lord Strabolgi for having inadvertently forgotten to answer a question which he put to me yesterday. I have communicated the answer to him privately, but perhaps your Lordships would like to have it, too. It is in reference to the publication of unemployment statistics. While of course, it will not be possible to continue to publish unemployment statistics in as great detail as in peace time, it is proposed to compile and publish the main sets of figures. Provisional 1105 figures relating to September 11 will, it is anticipated, be available before the end of this week, and will show how far, if at all, there has been an increase in unemployment since the outbreak of war. Then, as regards the noble Lord's question on the employment of aliens, I may say it is the intention of the Government that aliens who are not subject to restriction should be able to offer their services in the national interest, subject always to such safeguards as may be necessary, both in the interests of security and to avoid prejudicing the position of any unemployed British subjects.

As regards the speech which was made by my noble friend Lord Gainford, who raised a question about men in coal mines being employed on A.R.P. and other duties, I understand that since the end of January last the Schedule of Reserved Occupations, in which the main grades of underground workers in coal mines are reserved at the ages of 21, 23 or 25 and the main grades of surface workers at the ages of 23, 25 or 30, has governed the recruitment of men for full-time A.R.P. service, just as it has governed the recruiting of men for service in the Forces—that is, men belonging to these occupations of the ages specified could not be accepted by local authorities for full-time A.R.P. service. The Schedule covers the great majority of the workpeople in the coal-mining industry. If the complaints made by my noble friend relate to those below those age limits, then of course there is nothing to prevent local authorities employing such men, but, as I have said, the numbers must be very few. If, however, they are above that age, and if any noble Lord can send me information in regard to such cases, His Majesty's Government will at once take the matter up and see that those men are released to work in the mines. The complaints may, of course, relate only to men who are taken on for temporary work in A.R.P. services, such as the filling of sandbags and so on, in which case that employment would very soon come to an end and the men would then be released. The same equally applies to those employed in the iron and stool industry and the chemical industries.

As regards this Wartime Schedule of Reserved Occupations, it was prepared in consultation with the British Employers' Federation and the Trade Union 1106 Congress, and in particular, in the case of the coal-mining section, in consultation with the Mines Department, the Mining Association and the Mineworkers' Federation. I hope, therefore, that the cases to which my noble friend referred are not widespread. As I say, if my noble friend or any other noble Lord would give me information in regard to particular cases, the Government would, of course, be very ready to take up the matter. I beg to move that the House do resolve itself into Committee on the said Bill.