§ 19. General Sir George Jeffreysasked the Secretary of State for War what is the number of men employed at the Engineer Stores Depot, Liphook; whether all these men are kept fully employed; what are the average wages per man per week; and what is the cost of bringing them daily to Liphook by train and lorry from Portsmouth and elsewhere.
§ Mr. ShinwellApproximately 700 men are fully employed by this depot on sites at Liphook, Longmoor and Bordon. Their average wage is £5 a week. The net cost to the Department of the assisted travel scheme is approximately £14 a day.
§ Sir G. JeffreysIs the Secretary of State aware that most of these men say freely that there is very little to do at Liphook and that they are not fully employed; further, is he aware that many of them spend their time playing cards all the day, and are there not other better forms of employment which could be found for them?
§ Mr. ShinwellI have looked into some of these allegations and I find, so far as my information enables me to say, that the men are not under-employed. At the same time I assure the hon. and gallant Member that I am having a thorough investigation made.