§ Mr. LANSBURYasked the Minister of Labour whether private instructions of any kind, verbal or written, have been sent to mining areas in Great Britain instructing Exchange officials that a certain number of men in each area must be periodically offered vacancies for work in London or other towns, cities, or townships; and will he inform the House whether there is any shortage anywhere in the country of unskilled labour or labour needed for any occupation which a miner could be expected to fill; and, if there is such shortage anywhere, will he inform the House of the name of the district and the type of work for which men are needed?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI presume the hon. Member refers to the efforts which the Department are making to find work in other districts for some of the men from the depressed mining areas for whom, so far as can be foreseen, there is no prospect of work in those areas. The normal procedure of the Employment Exchanges is to exhaust the possibilities of the local supply of suitable labour before proceeding further afield. There are, however, as is well known, large aggregations of unemployed men in some areas, and at the same time a brisk demand for labour in others. In these circumstances my right hon. Friend has made certain modifications, of a limited kind and with due safeguards, in the normal procedure. In areas in which employment in general is good, an endeavour is being made to throw open some share of the vacancies to unemployed men from the hard-pressed areas. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that this is the only proper course to take, 1595W in view of the circumstances of the depressed mining areas and the relative prosperity of other parts of the country.
§ Mr. LANSBURYasked the Minister of Labour how many men have been brought from the provinces, especially the mining areas, to fill positions in the County of London and the nature and character of the work these men were brought to perform; and will he state which Exchanges in London were asked to fill the vacancies and declined to do so on the plea that no suitable men were available for the situations thus offered?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI cannot give separate figures for the County of London, but during the past four weeks about 270 men from mining areas have been found work in the South-East Division under the special arrangements which I described in answer to an earlier question to-day. The men were placed in a great variety of occupations, but chiefly in labouring or unskilled work of one kind or another. I do not clearly understand the last part of the question, but I may say the Exchanges would not refuse to accept notification of a vacancy on the ground that suitable men are not available locally.