Mr. T. WILSONasked the Secretary of State for Air whether all firms making aircraft for the Air Ministry are paying their employés on the piece-work system; and, if not, whether he can give the percentage of sections or parts of aircraft that failed to pass his inspectors in the works where the work is paid for at piece-work rates as compared with work done in works where time-work is paid?
Captain GUESTThe majority of the firms in question employ a proportion of their staff on time rates. In regard to the second part of the question, no statistics from which the comparison asked for can be deduced are available to the Department, since it is the general practice of firms to have all detail parts examined by their own viewers before they are submitted to the Air Ministry's inspector. I may add that no instance is known of identical parts being manufactured under piece-work and under time-work conditions.