§ Mr. Joelasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the shortage of trained nurses in this country and the long training necessary to produce qualified nurses, he can make arrangements for trained women from other parts of the British Empire to work in this country?
Mr. M. MacDonaldI have recently given special consideration to the question whether, in view of the possibility of heavy civilian casualties, the trained nurses available in this country to nurse them should be supplemented by trained nurses brought from overseas on an organised plan. I am advised that our own resources should be sufficient, if used to their full extent, to render this course unnecessary. I shall, however, keep this matter under careful review, and I should like to take this opportunity of expressing the deep appreciation of His Majesty's Government for the spirit that has prompted a number of our fellow citizens in other parts of the Empire to offer their services to the mother country in this way.