§ 40. Mr. ELLIS SMITHasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if the Ministry, or any of their representatives, have stipulated in any contract, or suggested in any form, that a firm or firms who carry out aircraft orders shall employ trainees?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for AIR (Sir Philip Sassoon)The answer is in the negative.
§ Mr. SMITHIs the under-Secretary aware that a well-known non-federated employer has stated in a conference that the Air Ministry have stipulated that dilutation must be taken, and is he aware that most of the strikes that have taken place recently in the aircraft industry have occurred because this kind of thing has taken place?
§ Sir P. SASSOONThe Air Ministry has made no such stipulation.
44. Captain BALFOURasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the total value of contracts given under provisional instruction to proceed pending final price settlement since April, 1935, and the value of those for which final prices have been agreed?
§ Sir P. SASSOONThe contracts in question are very numerous and varied, and the compilation of the figures asked for by my hon. and gallant Friend would involve an expenditure of time and labour which would hardly appear to be justified. Apart from that, the figures themselves would not enable any useful deductions to be drawn.