Oral Answers to Questions — Agriculture – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 August 1947.
Mr Robin Turton
, Thirsk and Malton
12:00,
11 August 1947
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in order to increase agricultural production at home, he will issue guidance to his committees that applications to be permitted to remain as civilian farmworkers on holdings in this country from German prisoners of war due for repatriation, shall receive favourable consideration.
Mr Percy Collick
, Birkenhead West
The instructions already issued by my Department provide for favourable consideration to be given to applications from billeted German prisoners of war to remain as civilian farm workers in cases where the conditions of the scheme are complied with, and I am not aware that committees are in need of further guidance.
Mr Robin Turton
, Thirsk and Malton
Is it not absolute folly to refuse applications for work on farms at present when we are short of dollars and short of food?
Mr David Renton
, Huntingdonshire
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that similar applications made by Italian prisoners of war were not considered until after those men had been repatriated, and would he prevent the same mistake from being made in respect of the Germans.
Mr Percy Collick
, Birkenhead West
The existing provisions already allow for that. Wherever a German prisoner of war is billeted, it is open to the farmer to make application for him to be allowed to remain as a civilian.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
