Mr. De la Bèreasked the Minister of Labour whether he will take immediate steps to put an end to the practice of certain chain stores of placing girls of calling-up age in their food and refreshment department where they are secure against being called-up and transferring these girls to other departments to replace girls who have been called-up, and then obtaining girls from the employment exchange of calling-up age who have been called-up from other shops?
§ Mr. AsshetonMy right hon. Friend is not aware of the existence of the practice alleged, but if my hon. Friend will send me any information he has I will consider whether any strengthening of existing administrative arrangements is called for. The present arrangements is that, although women engaged in food-distribution are not being called' for interview, this only applies if they were so engaged at the date of their registration. Women transferred to food-distribution after registration are called for interview and considered for transfer to vital war work on the basis of the work they were doing at the date of registration. In reply to the last part of the Question, women called up from employment in shops are not sent to employment in other shops but only to a restricted list of vital war employments set out in leaflet E.D.L. 74, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.