§ Sir J. BUTCHERasked the Pensions Minister whether he can state the precise arrangements that have been made 2552W for transferring the duties of training disabled and discharged Service men from the Ministry of Pensions to the Ministry of Labour; whether certain classes of cases will be retained to be dealt with by the Ministry of Pensions; and whether, in view of the urgency of this question, and of the necessity that local war pensions committees should know the precise position as early as possible, he will give full instructions to the local war pensions committees at the earliest possible day?
§ Sir JAMES CRAIGMy right hon. Friend is fully alive to the urgency, in the interests of disabled men, of completing the transfer of training to the Ministry of Labour. Arrangements have been made by which that Department will assume responsibility for both training and employment on the 1st May. The local organisation of the Ministry of Labour is not yet fully complete, however, and it is necessary to ask the local war pensions committees to assist the Ministry of Labour by temporarily carrying on their present work under that Department. A Circular explaining the arrangements is being issued to local committees to-day. The Ministry of Pensions will continue to deal with all disabled men in whose cases, while some training can be provided, medical treatment is still the primary consideration.