§ 14. Colonel GRETTONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if any arrangements have been made for suitable employment in appropriate work of the skilled men and others in shipyards, armament works, and elsewhere, who will be discharged owing to the reduced naval construction?
Mr. ALEXANDERI would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on the 5th February (OFFICIAL REPORT, cols. 1892–3) to the hon. Member for Dumbarton Burghs (Mr. Kirkwood).
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAWas that reply that the unemployment insurance benefit was left over?
§ Colonel GRETTONHas the right hon. Gentleman taken any steps to ensure that employment is found for these people?
Mr. ALEXANDERIt is not the duty of the Admiralty, as such, to provide employment in private yards and similar works, but the Admiralty has secured that the volume of employment in Government dockyards shall be maintained at the stable position.
§ Colonel GRETTONAm I to understand that the Government have taken no steps to assist unemployment in private yards caused by their own action?
Mr. ALEXANDERCertainly not. I would refer the right hon. and gallant Gentleman to the answer which I mentioned just now.
§ Colonel GRETTONIt is no answer.
§ Rear-Admiral BEAMISHAm I not right in saying that it is a fact that a very large bulk of the building programme for new ships to be constructed has been provided for the Royal Dockyards and none for the private dockyards?
Mr. ALEXANDERThe largest measure of the construction which is to be laid down is in the dockyards, but no one knows better than the hon. and gallant Gentleman that even in this case the bulk of the expenditure involved in the building of these ships, apart from the hulls, is put out to contract.