§ Sir L. Lyleasked the Minister of Labour whether he can define the position of nurses in private practice; whether they are being called up either on a rota system or at short notice to serve in emergency hospitals or kindred institutions; and whether, when unreserved after a certain age, they are being withdrawn with little or no notice from the service of private persons who are temporarily in their charge?
§ Mr. BevinThe present position is that nurses engaged in private practice are not transferred to work in other forms of nursing if they were born in 1911 or earlier and it is clear that they are reasonably well occupied on their nursing duties and likely so to continue. Other nurses may be withdrawn from private work but they would not be so withdrawn until they have completed any case on which they may be engaged and fulfilled any commitments into which they have entered for a short period ahead. This practice is, of course, liable to change in the light of any advice which I may receive on the subject from the newly formed National Advisory Council for the recruitment and distribution of nurses and midwives.