§ Sir T. BRAMSDONasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the number of discharges that have taken place in His Majesty's naval establishments since the 31st March, 1923, giving a list of the establishments and the numbers of workmen discharged from each, and the proportion of ex-service men included among the workmen so discharged?
§ Mr. HODGESSince the 31st March, 1923, considerable numbers of workmen have been entered, and a large proportion of the men who have been discharged were men who were entered temporarily, subsequent to the 31st March, 1923, in relief of unemployment. In the Vote 8 Departments since the 31st March, 1923, there has been a net increase of over 2,000 in the number of workmen employed; this increase is largely due to the retention of men who were engaged for temporary service. To give precisely the figures asked for by the hon. Member would necessitate a detailed examination of the discharges, and would involve a considerable amount of labour for the staffs of the establishments; I hope, therefore, that the hon. Member will not press for a categorical answer.