Captain BENNasked the Minister of Health whether the scheme for employing 50,000 ex-service men by the building trade employers with a view to their admission into the skilled ranks after a two years' training has proved a success; and if the whole of the 50,000 are now so employed?
§ Dr. MACNAMARARepresentatives of the employers advised me that on account of the continued and widespread depression in the building trades, it was not possible to make progress with this scheme. After consultation with them, and with the representatives of the operatives, it was decided to concentrate upon the training of disabled ex-service men for the building trade. In the result, the National Trade Advisory Committee for the building trades have recently agreed to pass further disabled men for training in the building trades. I hope with the aid of this decision to bring the total number of disabled ex-service men passed for training in the building trade up to 10,000—an addition of about 3,000 to the number already admitted to training.