§ MR. BENN (Devonport)To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that the upholstery work allocated to women in the Devonport Dockyard extends to the stuffing of chairs from the bare frames, work hitherto confined in the furnishing trade to men; whether the advertisement issued from Chatham asking for women to upholster chairs and couches is intended to cover this work; and, if so, whether he will take steps to confine the work of the women upholstresses in the dockyards to those lighter branches of the craft in which they usually find employment.
(Answered by Mr. Prelyman.) The upholstery work allocated to women in Devonport Dockyard does not include the stuffing of chairs from the bare frames, but is confined to sewing work, such as making curtains, window blinds, mattress ticks, pillow covers, ovorcases for furniture, etc. Women have not been employed on any stuffing, and the only work done by them in this connection, after making the cases, has been to sew up the last of the chair covers, mattresses, etc., after the stuffing has been completed by men. The advertisement issued from Chatham, asking for women to upholster chairs and couches, was intended to cover this work, but qualified candidates were not obtainable. It is intended to confine the work of the upholstresses in the dockyards to the lighter branches of the craft in which they usually find employment, in accordance with existing practice at Devonport.