asked the Minister of Labour how soon the distribution of the booklet, "Release and Resettlement," to the Services will be completed; and how soon copies will be made available to the public.

Sufficient copies of the booklet have already been issued for distribution in the Navy and the R.A.F. Receipt of copies by individuals will of course depend upon their location. In the case of the Army where larger numbers are required, it will be a few weeks before all the booklets are issued. Sales to the public will commence as soon as the Services have been supplied.

Is it intended to grant any further priority for the release and resettlement of Socialist politicians?

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is satisfied that there are sufficient training facilities available to implement the further education and training schemes available to the Services and industrial workers on demobilisation.

In general I am satisfied that the training facilities should be adequate, but in respect of certain professions there is likely to be a shortage of accommodation and tutorial staff. I am, however, watching the situation closely in conjunction with the other Ministers concerned.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind the men from the Far East, who will be demobilised at a later stage, so that they will have a right to that training?

Yes, Sir, certainly.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that teachers of low category are being retained in the Services and sent to the Far East? Would it not be better to retain them in this country so that they can get on with the work of education?

That raises a broad question concerning the whole matter of release and the general policy which has been laid down.

In view of the fact that there are large numbers of men between 19 and 26 in the Forces, will my right hon. Friend consider shortened courses for the other professions, such as he established for teachers? Otherwise, it will be impossible to cope with the chronic shortage of trained personnel.

I will bear in mind every aspect of this important matter, one aspect of which I studied in my previous incarnation.

asked the Minister of Labour what arrangements he has been able to make with the employers and trades union organisations to attract men to the building industry in view of urgent need for building operatives.

Arrangements have been concluded with the two sides of the building industry under which men without previous experience may have six months' intensive training in a training centre, followed by 14 months' further training and experience in the industry on a progressive scale of wages, after which they will be accepted as fully skilled craftsmen.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that that does not quite answer my Question? Does he think that the arrangements offered to these men will be sufficiently attractive to bring them into the building industry?

:I think they will. These arrangements have been made by agreement and have the support of the industry, and I trust that they will have the desired result.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that a number of ex-Servicemen and prisoners of war have received notice at the Spennymoor Royal Ordnance Factory and will terminate their employment at an early date; and what steps he is taking to give these men employment.

I am having inquiries made and will write to the hon. Member.

Is the Minister aware that I saw five of these men last Saturday evening; that some have been prisoners of war in Germany for four-and-a-half years, that they have worked for a short time in this factory, and have now been stood off? Will he do something to find them employment, as this is a poor reward for the services they have rendered?

I will note the information the hon. Member has given me, and, adding it to the information I shall obtain from inquiries, I will do my best for these men.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the groups to be demobilised under the Government Scheme will all come out at the same time in each of the three Services.

No, Sir. As was pointed out in the White Paper and in the Debate on the 16th May, military considerations make it necessary for release to proceed at different rates in the different Services.

Will my right hon. Friend give as much information as he can on this subject in view of the great interest taken in it?

I cannot at the moment improve upon the statement made by my predecessor, but of course I shall endeavour to give the House full information on this question, which affects everybody concerned very closely.

asked the Minister of Labour if service in the Merchant Navy will be taken into account in determining the group release number of a man who subsequently joined the Army.

Yes, Sir. Service in the Merchant Navy since 3rd September, 1939, will be taken into account.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, under the new Control of Engagement Order, men and women will be subject to direction to any part of the country and for any form of industrial activity.

The new Control of Engagement Order requires in general that engagements be made through the Ministry of Labour and National Service and does not in itself relate to the power of direction under Regulation 58A. Whilst the power of direction is being retained, the new Order enables its use to be dispensed with as far as possible and its use will be limited to directing persons to essential work of the highest urgency. Directions to work away from home will be used only where there is no alternative.

Has the right hon. Gentleman any hope that with a change of Government, an end will be put to this business, which reduces the workers to a state of serfdom?

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that a dispute exists between the workpeople and the employers represented on the Joint Industrial Council for the coal distribution trade in Kent, Surrey and Sussex because of the low margins allowed by the Ministry of Fuel and Power; and will he take steps with the authorities concerned to prevent a stoppage of work.

:I am aware that in declaring their inability to accede to a wage claim by the trade unions the employers have given the reason stated. As regards the second part of the Question, my Department has been in touch with the two sides on the matter and every effort will be made to assist towards an amicable settlement.

:Does not the right hon. Gentleman think it wise to contact the Minister of Fuel and Power to see if the margins can be increased, in order that the wages laid down as a result of agreement can be paid to the men concerned?

:It must be taken that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power has had regard to all the relevant facts in fixing these margins.

asked the Minister of Labour how many Joint Production Committees there are in Wolver Hampton, Willenhall and Wednesfield; how far they are actively operating; and what steps he is taking to secure that such councils in general remain a permanent feature of our industrial organisation.

:The establishment of joint production committees and similar bodies is a matter of voluntary arrangement between the employers and workers concerned, and no detailed information is available as to the number of such committees in any particular area, or the work they are doing. As regards the last part of the Question, it will be my policy to encourage the widest measure of co-operation between employers and workpeople, but the development and maintenance of works committees and similar bodies for this purpose will rest finally on the mutual desire and good will of those concerned.

:Will my right hon. Friend do all he can, by persuasion and negotiation, to persuade those concerned to carry on these committees?

:Naturally we like to see them, and we trust there will be the necessary good will and desire for them on the part of the parties concerned.