§ MR. H. E. KEARLEY (Devonport)I beg to ask the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, the number of workmen working in Her Majestys Dockyards discharged during the winter; whether such discharges were mainly occasioned in consequence of the money voted being expended on "special" work not contemplated in the Estimates; whether, in addition, all the employés were compulsorily made to lose a days work in order to obviate further discharges; and, whether the Government will consider the advisability, when framing the Estimates for the year, of providing a reserve to meet the contingency of special work, and so avoid these mid-winter discharges?
§ MR. E. ROBERTSONSince November I last, there had been a reduction of 156 on the total number of 20,410 men employed in the dockyards, and this reduction was due to new men not having been entered in all cases to fill the vacancies of men retired on pension on account of age, or for other reasons not connected with any reduction at the yards. Discharges had been caused by money being expended on special work. The yards were closed on the day before Christmas Day without the time being worked up, as arranged when the 48 hours working week was conceded. There was no necessity for providing any reserve to meet the contingency of special work.
§ MR. KEARLEYMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman to answer the first paragraph of my question?
§ MR. E. ROBERTSONYou can only arrive at the number of men discharged during the winter, by estimating the difference between the number of men and boys employed on the 1st November, 843 and the number of men and boys employed now; I have no specific figure. The total reduction in the number of men from various causes is 156.