§ Colonel WARDEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether in the case of youths apprenticed to certain trades and for whom apprenticeship fees have been paid, and who have not completed their apprenticeship, a proportion of such fees will be made recoverable on their being called up for service with the Colours?
§ Mr. HODGEMy right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The question of the right of apprentices enlisted in the Army to recover any portion of fees paid by them for apprenticeship must of course depend on the terms of the indenture, but I am advised that, generally speaking, the legal impossibility of performance would put an end to the contract and would probably debar the apprentice from recovery of the fees. As far as my information goes, however, the number of cases in which a formal indenture and the payment of fees takes place is comparatively small, and, where such payments have actually been made, I cannot think that employers will wish to deprive any man who has served with the Colours of the training due to him under the terms of his apprenticeship, should he wish to continue it on discharge?