§ 17. Mr. Bossomasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is still retaining the several hundred architects, engineers and other members of the building industry who were employed in the construction of Mulberry, or is he making them available for supervisory work or to prepare schemes for post-war housing.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply (Mr. John Wilmot)I have been asked to reply. As the hon. Member will be aware this great work was carried out by a large number of co-operating contractors who employed their own technicians. No architects and only about a dozen engineers and other technicians were directly employed by the Ministry of Supply. One or two remain to clear up certain outstanding matters.
§ Mr. BossomIs the hon. Gentleman aware that there are something like 300 architects, engineers and quantity surveyors, who are in very short supply, who would be able to do the preliminary work, if necessary, for about 100,000 building trade operatives when the war ends?
§ Mr. WilmotThey are not being held by the Ministry of Supply.
§ Mr. BossomMy Question was put down to the Secretary of State for War.
§ Sir J. GriggThe War Office is not having any of these people either.