42. Captain COOTEasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that Mr. 655 A. P. Barnes, No. 9202, Grade 2, examiner in the aeronautical inspection department, a soldier discharged from the Royal Flying Corps in consequence of sickness in January, 1918, was dismissed from Messrs: Mann, Egerton, and Company, Norwich, on the 16th instant, ostensibly in consequence of an order to reduce staff; that a single man of military age; who has never served. and is without experience in the construction of the type of aeroplane made at these works, has been engaged in his place, and that therefore no reduction of staff has been effected; and whether he will take steps to remedy this state of affairs?
The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of MUNITIONS (Mr. Hope)My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. Mr. A. P. Barnes, grade 2 examiner, was released from the Aircraft Inspection Department on the date named in consequence of the staff at the station at which he was employed having been recently reduced from nine persons to five. He was not replaced. A man of the grade of deputy assistant-inspector was, however, recently transferred to Mann, Egerton, and Company's station because of his special qualifications for the work, to replace a grade 1 examiner, and he also will be released in the course of the next two or three weeks. It is presumably this transfer to which the latter part of the hon. Member's question refers.