§ 25. Mr. HOGGEasked the President of of the Board of Trade how many ex-service men it is proposed to place under warning notice in his Department; whether full consideration will be given to the special claims of disabled men; whether any disabled men have already been dismissed while non-disabled men remain; and, if so, will he explain the departure from the recognised order of dismissals?
Mr. WEBBThe answer is a rather long one, and the hon. Member will perhaps allow me to have it circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ The number of temporary ex-service men who are already under notice, or whose appointments will probably have to be terminated in the near future, is approximately 145. Of these 145, over 100 have merely received preliminary warning that on military service grounds they are likely to be selected for early release in preference to men whose general claims to retention are stronger. A thorough process of substitution of non-service temporary personnel by ex-service men has been carried out in the Board of Trade, and this, combined with the inevitable shrinkage of temporary Departments, has brought about the posi- 242 tion that any discharge of staff owing to completion of the work upon which they are engaged must involve the discharge of ex-service men. Full consideration is given to the claims of disabled men to priority of retention as against non-disabled, and in the cases where it has been necessary to discharge disabled men, the determining factor has been comparative efficiency which the "Lytton" Reports recognise must be the over-riding consideration.