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Printed for the Cabinet. March 1949
CONFIDENTIAL
C.P. (49) 54
7th March, 1949
CABINET
Copy No.
The urla
COMPOSITION AND TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE MAN-POWER
COMMITTEE
NOTE BY THE SECRETARY OF THE CABINET
THE Prime Minister has approved the appointment of a Man-Power Committee under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chief Planning Officer.
2. The terms of reference of the Committee are :-
(a) To consider, in the light of approved policies, questions arising on the allocation and distribution of man-power and on the man-power implications of proposed new policies or proposed modifications of existing policies; and to report to the appropriate Ministerial Committee as required.
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(b) To consider, in particular, such questions as may be referred to them connected with the use of foreign labour and the expansion of the labour force in undermanned industries.
(c) To supervise preliminary planning for the redistribution of man-power
in the early stages of a major war.
3. The composition of the Committee is :-
Mr. E. A. Hitchman, Deputy Chief Planning Officer (Chairman).
Miss M. Smieton, Ministry of Labour.
Mr. D. H. Lyal, Board of Trade.
Mr. R. F. Bretherton, Economic Section, Cabinet Office.
Mr. A. J. Newling, Ministry of Defence.
Mr. H. R. Camp, Ministry of Supply (representing the Joint War
Production Staff).
Mr. C. N. Ryan, Home Office.
4. The Secretaries of the Committee are Mr. J. R. Lloyd Davies, Ministry of Labour and Mr. R. P. Fraser, Cabinet Office.
5. The Prime Minister wishes the following points to be borne in mind in the work of the Committee :-
(1) The Departments and organisations represented on the Committee are those which have a wide and general interest in man-power questions, and their representatives will form the central nucleus of the Committee. Other Depart- ments are concerned with particular aspects of the man-power problem and will be brought into consultation on questions with which they are directly concerned.
(2) In the field of Service man-power there are specialised problems which are of direct concern only to the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Defence and Service Departments. These fall, broadly, into two groups-
(i) those centring round the allocation between the three Services of the
total man-power available for the Armed Forces; and
(ii) those connected with the administration of the National Service Acts. For the first group the primary Departmental responsibility rests with the Ministry of Defence for the second group it rests with the Ministry of Labour. These specialised bablem&ill not normally be referred to the main4Committee.
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They will be handled through the ordinary processes of inter-departmental con- sultption or through informal working parties constituted at the initiative of the Department (Ministry of Defence or Ministry of Babour) having the primary responsibility for the subject matter.
(3) The man-power requirements for producing equipment for the Armed Forces will continue to be handled in the first instance by the Joint War
Production Staff.
(4) The Man-Power Committee may appoint sub-committees, as required, for discussing the man-power problems of particular industries.
6. The Prime Minister has decided to discontinue the Ministerial Labour Committee. The Labour (Textile Industries) Committee will continue, under the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Labour, to review the man-power requirements of the textile industries; and matters associated with the preparation of a new Schedule of Reserved Occupations will remain the responsibility of the Man-Power Sub-Committee of the Defence (Transition) Committee.
(Signed)
NORMAN BROOK.
Cabinet Office, S. W. 1,
7th March, 1949.