§ Mr. Harveyasked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called to the position of a number of unmarried women between 22 and 30 years of age who were not afforded facilities to register as conscientious objectors in the same way as women of the 20 and 21 age groups; that some of the former group have been prosecuted for failing to comply with directions, which would not have occurred had their names been registered 2188W provisionally as conscientious objectors; and whether steps will be taken to remedy the position and remove misunderstandings in future on this point?
§ Mr. BevinUnmarried women between 22 and 30 years of age are entitled to apply to be provisionally registered as conscientious objectors in respect of service with the Forces. Such registration, however, has no bearing on their obligation to comply with directions to perform civilian work, though in practice I do not direct conscientious objectors to perform work closely connected with the military side of the war effort. In the two cases in which there have been prosecutions of conscientious objectors the women had refused to work in hospitals.