§ Sir J. BUTCHERasked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been 953W called to the treatment of ex-service men at the hands of rebels in Southern Ireland, resulting in the refusal of employment and causing great distress to these men and their families; the number of ex-service men who have been provided with employment under the special grant recently made for public works in Ireland; and whether he will confer with other public Departments in Ireland with a view to ensuring that, so far as possible, ex-service men shall be given a preference for employment in all works undertaken by these Departments, and that, all contracts for public works shall contain a Clause binding the contractors to give such preference?
§ Sir M. BARLOWThere are just over 14,000 ex-service men seeking employment in Southern Ireland, being about 24 per cent, of the total number of applicants for employment, including civilians. General complaints are received of the difficulty experienced by ex-service men in finding employment, but my attention has not been called to specific cases of refusal to employ or prevention of employment. Approximately, 3,400 ex-service men are employed under the special grant for public works in Ireland. All Irish Departments give preference to ex-service men. Grants for public works made by the Unemployment Grants Committee are subject to a condition that preference in employment should be given to ex-service men. This condition applies to grants made to Irish local authorities.