§ Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Information, in view of the remarks made 46W by the magistrate at the South-Western police court at the trial of two employees of the Ministry, Botterill and Pampa, who was responsible for their engagement and who recommended them; and will he ensure in future that more care is taken when selecting persons for employment in his Ministry?
§ Mr. BrackenThe two boys concerned are employed by the Ministry of Information as temporary clerks and were engaged through the usual machinery of the Ministry of Labour. I can see no signs of any lack of care in their selection. The sum of their offence consisted in going to a public dance, one of them wearing an old Italian Air Force uniform which had belonged to an uncle of the other. They thought it funny. I do not, but I think it is the sort of thing that lots of boys might have done. One of them has now left to join the R.A.F. where I wish him all luck and a better uniform; the other has volunteered but has not yet been accepted.