§ Captain Sir ROWLAND BLADESasked the Minister of Labour who is the head of the Officers' Appointments Board; where the Department is housed; what is the cost of maintaining it; how many demobilised officers the Department has succeeded in placing in appointments in civil life; and whether he will consider the advisability of making information respecting the facilities offered by the Department more accessible both to employers and to demobilised officers?
§ Mr. WARDLE1. The officer in charge of the Appointments Department of this Ministry is Mr. C. Home McCall, C.B.E.
The headquarters staff of the Department is housed in the west wing of St. Ermin's Hotel, Westminster, and there are in addition about 100 district branches in Great Britain and Ireland.
The cost of maintaining the Department for the year 1919–20 has been estimated at £404,680, but it is hoped that an appreciable saving will be made on this estimate.
Since the formation of this Department, in April, 1918, to the 15th February, 1919, 136,430 officers andmen of similar professional and business qualifications are known either to have been placed in civil life or to have received intimations through the Department guaranteeing employment on demobilisation. In addition to this work the Department is responsible for the selection and allocation of officers to the various training schemes which have been inaugurated, of which I will forward a complete list to the hon. and gallant Member.
Information regarding this Department has already been made public to His Majesty's Forces through the Admiralty, War Office, and Air Ministry. Officers of the Department are in attendance at dispersal stations, and information regarding the facilities offered by the Department to candidates and employers is published from time to time in the Press.
1307WI shall welcome any suggestion from the hon. and gallant Member in this connection.