HC Deb 14 May 1958 vol 588 c397
25. Mr. Frank Allaun

asked the Secretary of State for Air what compensation is to be paid to 1,800 civilians from Manchester, Salford and neighbouring areas who will be made redundant when the Royal Air Force establishment is closed down in Wilmslow.

Mr. Ward

The unestablished civil servants at the maintenance unit we are closing at Handforth, near Wilmslow, will be paid such gratuity as they may have earned under the Superannuation Acts. For established civil servants, the arrangements will be those announced by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 28th April in reply to a Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Llewellyn).

Mr. Allaun

Will the Minister bear in mind that it is extremely difficult for elderly or low-paid workers to go to jobs at the other end of the country, even if these are available? Will he, therefore, consider ensuring that the new regulations announced on 28th April are interpreted sympathetically, particularly in view of the growing unemployment in that area?

Mr. Ward

Yes, Sir.