§ Mr. LAWSONasked the Minister of Health if he is aware that a number of men, who have been drafted from other parts of the country to the Birtley training centre, County Durham, are now receiving poor relief from the Chester-le-Street guardians, and that this charge upon the rates is increasing as men are being continuously moved to this centre where many remain after they have completed their training; and whether he intends to take any steps to relieve the guardians of such part of the financial burden as is due to the special conditions prevailing in Birtley, or what other action does he propose to take to meet this situation?
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§ Sir A. MONDI have had.no previous information to this effect, but I will make inquiries.
§ Mr. LAWSONasked the Minister of Labour if it is a Regulation laid down by his Department that ex-service men who who have completed their training, and who have improverships offered in the area where they were trained, must not take such opportunities if they have come from another part of the country; and if he is aware that men have been refused permission to accept posts under these circumstances in the Birtley area?
§ Dr. MACNAMARANo such Regulation has been laid down by my Department. Many local technical advisory committees comprised, as my hon. Friend knows, of equal numbers of representatives of employers and workpeople in the trades concerned are, however, strongly opposed to accepting men as improvers from other districts in cases where there are men in their own districts already awaiting improverships. I understand this difficulty has been acute in the Northern Counties, and particularly in the Newcastle district.