§ Mr. Urwinasked the Minister of Labour (1) if he will now announce the names of the members of the committee set up to inquire into the engagement and use of labour and labour-only subcontracting in the construction industry; when the inquiry will commence; and when he anticipates that the final report and recommendations will be presented;
(2) in view of the wider terms of reference of the committee of inquiry into labour-only subcontracting in the construction industry, if he will seek to ensure that an interim report on this aspect of the committee's work is presented, thus enabling appropriate recommendations to be made as a matter of urgency.
§ Mr. GunterI have already announced that Professor Phelps Brown is to be Chairman of the Committee. Other members will be Mr. John Rhodes, of Imperial Chemical Industries, Mr. Charles Smith, of the Post Office Engineering Union, Dr. R. W. Rideout, of University College, London, and Mr. E. E. Wardell, of Urwick Orr and Partners Limited. I am considering whether an additional member should be appointed and am in touch with Professor Phelps Brown and the Economic Development Committees for Building and Civil Engineering about how these6W Committees might be associated with the work of the inquiry.
The matters covered by the inquiry's terms of reference are complex and far-reaching. I cannot anticipate when the Committee's report and recommendations will be available, nor would it be practicable to consider the possibility of an interim report on one aspect before they have been able to survey the problem as a whole.