§ 56. Mr. RAPERasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many disabled ex-service men are under notice of dismissal in each of the various Government Departments?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Hilton Young)The number of disabled men who are at present under notice of discharge from Government Departments in London is, as far as can be ascertained, 126. This figure does not include those engaged in an industrial or manipulative 188 capacity, in respect of whom information is not immediately available. With the permission of the hon. Member, I will circulate details in the OFFICIAL REPORT. Except where the employment is of a casual character, the cases of these men are still under consideration, as a result of which a considerable proportion of them will certainly be found employment in other branches of the Departments in which they are engaged. In addition a smaller number of disabled men have received warning that one month after the date on which the warning was given they are liable to receive one month's notice of discharge. The same observations apply to these cases.
§ Mr. RAPERWill the hon. Gentleman promise to do what he can for these unfortunate men? Will he cancel all notices of dismissal of disabled ex-service men while there are any non-service men and women being employed on the same work in the same Department?
§ Mr. YOUNGIt is impossible, consistently with the smooth and efficient working of the process of substitution, to give the undertaking to which my hon. Friend refers. He may rest assured that the special claim of disabled men is a matter of considerable concern to the Government.
§ Viscount CURZONMay I ask whether the discharge of these 126 disabled ex-service men is one of the first-fruits of the application of the. Anti-waste League?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. and gallant Gentleman is now debating the question.
§ The following are the details promised by Mr. Young:
| Admiralty | 62 |
| War Office | 11 |
| Post Office | 9 |
| India Office | 9 |
| Food Department | 8 |
| Ministry of Labour | 6 |
| Department of Overseas Trade | 6 |
| Disposal and Liquidation Commission | 5 |
| Air Ministry | 4 |
| Ministry of Agriculture | 3 |
| Department of Inland Revenue | 3 |
| 126 |
§ 58. Mr. HOPKINSasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that, in Block C of the Disposal Board, 25 ex-service men and a war widow have received notice of dismissal, while 13 men and women without war service are being retained; and will he inquire into the matter?
§ Mr. YOUNGI have made inquiry into this matter, and have ascertained that of the 13 non-service personnel referred to, three are being substituted by ex-service men, four are permanent civil servants, and the remaining six are juniors, engaged on elementary work, whose retention has recently been agreed to by the Departmental Substitution Committee, which includes the ex-service men's representative.