Colonel THORNEasked the Minister of Munitions if he can state the number of workpeople employed in the engineering 794W and shipbuilding trades, respectively, whose wages or other conditions have been raised by awards of the Committee of Production?
§ Mr. G. ROBERTSMy right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The number of men and boys (exclusive of those serving with His Majesty's Forces) insured under the National Insurance Act of 1911 is about 975,000 in engineering and ironfounding and about 255,000 in shipbuilding, and from the information available it is believed that the wages of nearly all these workpeople have been raised, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the awards of the Committee on Production. The general awards of the Committee on Production do not apply to women and girls in the engineering and shipbuilding trades, but women and girls generally, who are employed on munitions work, have been granted advances in wages under the Orders issued by the Ministry of Munitions.