§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Labour (1) if he is aware of the large numbers of workers threatened with unemployment because of the diverting of raw materials to armament factories; and what special arrangements have been made or contemplated to deal with this situation;
(2) what arrangements have been made or contemplated to persuade in advance workers in factories having to close down because of lack of materials to undertake other urgent jobs instead of drifting into less essential work.
§ Mr. BevanSome time ago, employers were asked, through their associations, to give employment exchanges advance notice of redundancy. Similarly, workers were asked, through their trade unions, to register in advance of discharge so that they might be placed in alternative work without an interval of unemployment. I am about to remind both sides of industry of these arrangements so as to ensure that the existing machinery of the employment exchange service is effectively used both to reduce unemployment to a minimum and to place workers as far as possible on important work which will make full use of their skill.