§ 4. Mr. W. Neillasked the Undersecretary of State for Air how many engineering tradesmen employed at No. 23 Maintenance Unit, Aldergrove, were first notified of their registration as dilutees several years after they had first become employed by his Department as skilled workers; how many registered dilutees had had that registration cancelled by agreement with the Amalgamated Engineering Union; and in how many cases did dilutees have this registration cancelled without first becoming members of the Amalgamated Engineering Union.
§ Mr. de FreitasNinety-eight and 18 respectively. I have no information on the last part of the Question.
§ Sir W. Smilesasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many ex-Servicemen it is intended to lay off from the maintenance unit at Aldergrove; and if preferential treatment is being given to these ex-Servicemen.
§ Major Haughtonasked the Undersecretary of State for Air the circumstances in which 300 employees at No. 23 Maintenance Unit, Aldergrove, are being discharged; how many of them are ex-Servicemen; and what steps his Department is taking to provide an alternative form of employment.
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§ Mr. de FreitasThe size of this Royal Air Force Maintenance Unit has to be reduced as there is now much less work to be done there. Two hundred and thirty employees, including 80 ex-Servicemen, are being discharged on grounds of redundancy. The order of discharge is determined by the length of employment in accordance with the general practice agreed with the trade unions, subject to the proviso that dilutees are discharged before fully skilled men; except for men who are being reinstated in employment, service in the Armed Forces is not taken into account in determining the length of civil employment. All the skilled men, to a total of 185, have been given the opportunity of applying for transfer to units in this country. So far 42 applications have been received.