Debate on the Address

Part of Orders of the Day — King's Speech – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 21 August 1945.

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Photo of Colonel Alan Gandar-Dower Colonel Alan Gandar-Dower , Penrith and Cockermouth 12:00, 21 August 1945

I am glad, Sir, that you have put me right. I would never dream of referring to you in this connection, especially when occupying that honourable Chair. I was referring to where the Labour Party stand on the question of controls. I think it is rather like a tin can tied to a dog's tail. The dog may be a very nice dog, but it does not like the can. I do assure hon. Members opposite that I earnestly believe that there are two sections in their party. There is the section which feels that the powers of the Executive should be increased, and the section that feels diametrically opposed to that view, who concentrate their energies upon social legislation. I venture to give a word of advice, if I may be permitted, to those on the Government Front Bench. I feel convinced that they will be representing a majority of the voters who returned them in such overwhelming numbers to this House if they concentrate upon social legislation, and on improving the lot of the people, and not upon setting up a new privileged class of officials. I do not believe this country wants such a class, and I do not believe that the majority of their supporters want it. For that reason, I ask hon. Members on this occasion to listen with open minds to my remarks upon one or two controls which I am going to mention, and to give me their support. It really is not a question of party politics, because the party opposite should be the very first people to defend the interest of the people of this country and all democracy. The point I am making is that the party opposite would not be here in such large numbers were it not for the working of the free democracy we have to-day.

The first point I want to make is with regard to the re-allocation of man-power. I do not like the word "re-allocation." It seems to be rather inhuman and unsympathetic; it also seems to suggest that when the men have finished being directed into the Services of this country, they are Only released to be once more subjected to discipline and regimentation. Hon. Members opposite may establish some good arguments as to why that should be so, but they will not persuade me that that is a desirable state of affairs, or one which should continue any longer than is absolutely necessary. In the last Parliament I crossed swords with the then Minister of Labour, the present Foreign Secretary, on many occasions and as a result of a considerable number of arguments I understood that during the period of release, Service personnel, men and women, were to be allowed to choose the type of job they wanted and that it was only when they failed to find their own particular job that they became subject to direction. The question I want to ask the right hon. Gentleman is whether that same privilege is to be allowed to the men and women directed to civil jobs. If it is not, it will be grossly unfair that a man or woman who served the country in the Armed Forces should have, during the period of release, the right to choose the job he or she wants and yet their brothers and sisters who may have been in munition factories and so forth should be redirected once more under this re-allocation scheme. That is one of the controls which I should like to see removed, and I am convinced a large number of supporters of hon. Members opposite would also like to see it removed.

Then I would like to ask the Minister of Health, who on many occasions enlightened dull Debates in this House by his sparkling wit in the last Parliament, how can he build and repair houses, so long as the present machinery of approval exists? If one wants to repair houses now, he has to get a certificate from a local authority and then a licence from the Ministry of Works. Then he has to make sure that all the rules and regulations have been complied with by the Ministry of Health and, lastly, he has to send to the right hon. Gentleman's colleague, the Minister of Town and Country Planning, to make sure it does not interfere in any kind of way with his work. Ministries are not quick in their replies, and I cannot see how you are going to "ginger up" the process, until the Minister of Health really gets down to the job. If all these gentlemen have to be concerned with the rabbit pie he should get them all together and let then tuck in and finish with it as soon as they possibly can. I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will not be able to exercise that dynamic personality of his, if he has to wait for each Ministry to say whether they have any objection.

I would like to give one other instance which I think my right hon. Friend will appreciate, because it may give him some information upon which to base his future action. A friend of mine told me his house was being repaired, and I asked him if I could go over and see what went on. I went there at half-past seven in the morning, and saw 20 men arrive at 8 o'clock, right on time. Some started to make tea at 10 minutes past 8 and others got down to make a work bench for their own shop, while the employer read a book sitting by the fire. When I said to him, "Is this work going on as quickly as it ought?" he said "I have no authority over these men. These plumbers and electricians are from a local authority pool, and if I start to tell them to get on, they will merely say, 'You have got no right to order us about, as we are not working for you.' I do not care, because I get cost plus, so that it does not matter to me how long the job takes or what it costs." There must be something very definitely wrong there. [An Hon. Member: "Did that happen before the Election or after?"] Forgive me, I am not trying to make party capital out of this. I am giving a few facts upon which the hon. Member will be able to form his own opinion. I am not going to oblige hon. Members by discussing party politics. At 10.30 a small car came along, and in it was the clerk of works. The men all started getting busy when they heard that car. One man started working painting the room, but the clerk of works said, "You must not do that there 'ere. It is against a circular sent out by the Ministry. You must not use paint; you must use distemper." After he had gone, they started to distemper the cornices, and about an hour later a larger car came up with a bigger official from the Ministry of Works, and, when he came in, the first thing he said was, "What are you doing distempering the cornices? You are not allowed to do that." This is not an exaggeration; it is exactly what took place.