§ Sir W. Smilesasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what is the position of the women working in the radar department at Nutt's 10W Corner Aerodrome, Northern Ireland; and if he proposes that they shall become established civil servants entitled to a pension on retirement.
§ Mr. LindgrenThe application of radar to civil aviation is still in its development stages, and until further knowledge becomes available of the long term future of this device, it is not possible to regard the posts at present occupied by the staff at Nutt's Corner and at other aerodromes, as other than temporary. By virtue of their present grading, however, the clerks at present engaged on this work are within the scope of the agreement between the Official and Staff Sides of the National Whitley Council which provides for the establishment of 34,000 temporary clerks in the Treasury Clerical Officer grade (and analogous Departmental grades) to be filled by the nomination of temporary staffs.
The 34,000 temporary posts represent only a proportion of such posts in the Civil Service and, as a consequence, a quota for establishment has been allocated to each Government Department where temporary clerks are employed. It follows, therefore, that not all the temporary clerks serving in the Radar Department at Nutt's Corner can hope to be successful in the competition for establishment.