§ Mr. MORRISasked the Prime Minister whether or not his attention has been called to the training of soldiers blinded in the War as telephone operators and shorthand typists; and if he has yet issued instructions that will bring about the substitution of these men in Government Departments for women employed in these occupations?
§ Mr. BALDWINSoldiers blinded in the War are trained as telephone operators and shorthand-typists by St. Dunstan's. No difficulty has been found in placing these men, with the assistance of the Ministry of Labour Employment Exchanges. The question of the employment of disabled ex-Service men in Government Departments recently received exhaustive consideration, and an extensive substitution of disabled ex-Service men for women was carried out. It was, however, not considered necessary to apply the scheme to shorthand-typists, as the demand for skilled operators is generally greater than the supply of either sex, and there is no difficulty in placing the limited numbers of trained ex-Service men. As regards telephone operating, the Postmaster-General was advised from St. Dunstan's that the employment of blinded soldiers should be restricted to boards with not more than 30 extensions. The only exchanges where such small boards are in use are certain private branch Exchanges on private premises, and the subscribers have been informed of the probability of the work being suitable for a blinded soldier and of the fact that St. Dunstan's can supply such men already trained for the work.