§ 6. Mr. Maddanasked the Secretary of State for War how many of the staff at the Armament Research and Development Establishment, Fort Halstead, were, respectively, fully and partly engaged on work connected with Blue Water at the time of its abandonment; and how many of these are still working in the establishment.
§ Mr. RamsdenForty-seven staff were employed full-time, with part-time staff equivalent to three more full-time staff. They are all still employed in the establishment.
§ Mr. MaddanRemembering that Blue Water was cancelled as an economy measure and while we are very glad that the individuals concerned are still employed, does my hon. Friend recognise how disheartening it is to workers in the defence industry that when economies come to be made the axe falls wholly upon them and not at all upon those in Government establishments?
§ Mr. RamsdenI see the point made by my hon. Friend, but the answer is that A.R.D.E. is a research and not a production establishment. The underlying principles of the research carried out there, in which these people have been engaged, are not by any means exclusive to Blue Water.
§ Mr. MaddanWould my hon. Friend agree that that explanation is simply an extract from Parkinson's Law?
§ Mr. RamsdenNo, Sir. The work which those people are doing is immensely valuable, and the effect of their transfer to this work will be to get it done quicker. This, in turn, will be of value to the defence effort.