§ 17. Mr. Nunnasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the qualifications for a regional technical director; what is his salary; and whether he takes precedence of, or has authority over, other Board of Trade technical officers in his area.
§ Mr. DaltonThese officers deal only with engineering and must have a good general knowledge of the engineering industries. They are assisted, in each region, by a small staff, who have also been selected because of their experience of engineering. The salary range of the regional directors is £850 to £1,000 a year, plus Civil Service bonus of £60 a year.
§ Mr. NunnCan the right hon Gentleman say what constitutes reasonably experienced men? Do they have to take any special qualifications?
§ Mr. DaltonNo, Sir. I do not think it is difficult to decide whether a particular man has a good knowledge of engineering. We do the best we can in the light of our information about the applicants and they are a good body of men.
§ Mr. NunnCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether one of these technical officers appointed with a good knowledge of engineering takes precedence, and has authority over a man who is, for instance, a chief engineer with a marine certificate?
§ Mr. DaltonI have tried to explain the position. In each region we are particularly concerned with reconversion from war to peace of the engineering industry. For this purpose we have certain officers whom we have appointed specially for this purpose. The regional director is the head of these officers in each region. He is not over other members of the staff.