§ 24. Major HORE-BELISHAasked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) with reference to the 12 naval establishments outside the United Kingdom, at which 600 odd workpeople are appointed from home and 13,000 are engaged locally, whether the Admiralty has examined into the possibility of increasing the number of jobs that can be given to those appointed from home, in order to relieve unemployment and maintain the value of those specially qualified for dockyard and other Admiralty work;
(2) whether it would be possible to absorb immediately some proportion of those registered as unemployed at the Devonport Labour Exchange for work in the Admiralty establishments abroad in cases where those registered are willing and anxious to go?
The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the ADMIRALTY (Mr. Davidson)Experience has shown that, except for specialists, the workpeople engaged locally at Admiralty establishments abroad are quite competent to carry out the work required, and it is the policy of the Department to send out officials and workpeople from home only to the extent necessary to make good a deficiency in local services. To send out workpeople to displace the locally engaged labour would in many places have the effect of depriving the local British subjects of the only industrial employment open to them in their own Colony. At other places, such as Hong Kong, it would not be practicable to arrange for Englishmen to work with or take the place of local native labour. Having regard to these and such other considerations as the additional expense and accommodation difficulties involved, the Admiralty are unable to modify their policy in the direction suggested by the hon. and gallant Member.
§ Major HORE-BELISHAWill the hon. Gentleman undertake to look into this matter from the point of view of the future?