§ Sir J. Mellorasked the Minister of Labour what steps he has taken, and what further steps he proposes to take, to secure that able-bodied men in casual wards are placed in war work; and 164W whether he will give an approximate indication of the number of cases in which he has exercised compulsory powers for this purpose?
§ Mr. Bevin:By arrangement with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health, superintendents of casual wards have been asked to co-operate with exchange managers in securing the services of inmates of casual wards when a suitable opportunity arises, and the managers have been further instructed to exercise compulsory powers where necessary. No statistics are available as to the number of cases in which such compulsory powers have been exercised. I am now reviewing the working of this procedure, and will consider, in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health, whether any further steps should be taken.