§ 7.20 p.m.
§ LORD SANDHURST rose to ask His Majesty's Government whether, in view of the difficulties in the way of arranging for Poles in this country to be employed in the mines or in agriculture, arrangements can be made to utilize as many as possible in connexion with the overdue improvement of our road system. The noble Lord said: My Lords, in asking the question that stands in my name on the Order Paper, I do not want to take up much of your Lordships' time. It is, I am afraid, the result of a mistake made at the end of the last century, when Poles were used as strike-breakers in the Lanarkshire pits, that to-day the miners will not have the Poles used in the mines. For some unknown reason, the farm labourer does not like to work alongside a Pole and so they are not used on the farms. These men are cluttering up the countryside. I have only to look out of the windows of my house at any time during the day to see about a dozen Poles wandering disconsolately to the pub or from the pub, if it is open, Or just wandering if it is not. This is obviously not a time of the year in which they can be put into mobile camps, but I do hope that with spring coming this Polish force will be looked upon as a means of providing a mobile force to work on the roads and as a force which can be moved with the work and housed in tented camps.
§ I do not want to prejudge the Government's reply, but I am afraid it may be they will just say that they are in negotiation. All I am going to say is that I hope their negotiations will meet with success because I do feel that it is bad for these young fellows to be idle at the moment. Our roads are badly in need of attention, and I think it would be a great help to the country and to these Poles if they were kept employed on the roads. I would just ask this one question. Is there any objection to the local contractor going to the local Polish camp 995 and asking the men to volunteer for work? I beg to ask the question standing in my name.
§ 7.22 p.m.
LORD PAKENHAMMy Lords, as regards the last question put to me, perhaps the noble Lord will allow me to refer it in that specific form to the Department directly concerned. I have equipped myself with a general reply to the point indicated on the paper and perhaps he will bear with me while I outline that to him. It would be a mistake to think that there has ever been any intention of confining the employment of Poles on release from the Polish Resettlement Corps to employment in the mines or in agriculture. The Government's intention is to endeavour to provide openings for those Poles who elect to remain in this country in any industry where, after consultation with the industry, it is found that Poles can be accepted without detriment to the employment of British subjects. That is the formula we have adopted and I think it is one which the noble Lord will agree is suitable. Discussions have already taken place with a number of industries on this point and are in progress with a number of other industries, including coalmining and agriculture. Up to the present about a thousand Poles have been found work in this country.
It is not the case that the only difficulties in the absorption of Poles are those in connexion with the willingness of industries to receive them. First of all there is the difficulty that most of these men do not know English and they have to be taught sufficient English to enable them to get along in civilian life with their employers and their workmates. Secondly, there is the difficulty of finding accommodation for the Poles in the precise neighbourhood where work becomes available for them. This difficulty is being energetically dealt with.
With regard to the particular suggestion that some of the Poles should be utilized in connexion with improvement of our road system, arrangements have already been made under which they can be employed in the civil engineering industry when suitable British labour is not available, and they can, therefore, from now on be utilized where the necessary arrangements can be made on road 996 improvements. Similar arrangements are to be discussed in connexion with road maintenance work with the National Joint Council for County Council Roadmen. The House can be assured that we are quite aware that we have only made a start on the tackling of this problem, but we mean to pursue it very vigorously. It may interest the noble Lord and the House to be informed that the number of Poles enrolled in the Resettlement Corps up to December 6 was 32,126, including about 600 women.
LORD SANDHURSTI thank the noble Lord for his reply which is one of the most helpful I have received in this House.