§ Captain Gammansasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of the growing sense of frustration amongst full-time Civil Defence workers at the delay in inaugurating schemes of employment for them during their on-duty and off-duty periods; and when lie expects to be able to announce details of such schemes?
§ Mr. H. MorrisonAs I informed the hon. Member for Balham and Tooting (Mr. Doland) on 26th February, the main line of approach to the removal of the sense of frustration amongst full-time Civil Defence workers must be by the method of releasing them for approved industrial employment away from their depots. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service and I are pressing forward with arrangements for their release on as large a scale as practicable at the earliest possible date. An industrial registration of whole-time members of the Civil Defence Services is taking place next week to ascertain to what extent the Services contain men or women who, if they can be spared from or replaced in their present duties, would be able to give more effective service to the war effort by being released permanently or temporarily to other employment. This, however, does not preclude the immediate release of particular individuals for whom approved employment can now be found.
Consultations on the whole subject are to take place within the next few days with representatives of the local authorities and the Trade Union Consultative Committee representing the Civil Defence personnel. I hope to be in a position to announce before Easter a comprehensive scheme which will deal not only with the release of men or women for industrial employment but with the provision of opportunities for making a more direct contribution to the war effort by those who must necessarily remain whole-time in the Services. A considerable indirect contribution to the war effort is already made by members of the Services in their off-duty periods, and much of the local authorities' non-civil defence work is already done with the aid of Civil Defence personnel during their duty periods as well as in their off-duty periods.