HC Deb 20 October 1943 vol 392 cc1368-9
30. Mr. McNeil

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty by whose authority skilled labour from the Garvel shipyard was utilised for repairing a greenhouse at a private residence, of which he has been informed, between the dates of 27th April and 20th May?

The First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. A. V. Alexander)

The utilisation on these repairs of the labour in question, which consisted of a joiner, a machineman and an apprentice, was authorised by the firm. I am informed that during the period mentioned there was a temporary shortage of joiners' work in the shipyard.

Mr. McNeil

Does my right hon. Friend not agree that it there is a shortage of work in this particular firm, there is a machine for transferring skilled labour from this place to other points where there is no shortage of joinery work?

Mr. Alexander

That is a matter for the Minister of Labour, under the Essential Work Order, but I am informed that there is no real point in that, because there is only a small amount of labour and it is not worth transferring.

Mr. McNeil

Does my right hon. Friend not consider that if there was an offence there—which I think there was, however small—it was up to the court to decide the extent of the offence by the smallness of their penalty, and does he not agree that there has been a good deal of dissatisfaction already reported to him by the workpeople in this company?

Mr. Alexander

So far as I know, there was no offence in this matter.