§ Mr. WIGNALLasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that expenses were incurred by representatives of the Railway Committee of Craft Unions, Eastleigh, in attending a Court of arbitration to submit evidence with regard to certain rearrangements in the railway shops, as a result of the adoption of the forty-seven hours' week; that the representatives travelled to London to attend the Court at invitation of the Department; that, when the Court had disposed of another matter, it was ruled that the questions for which these representatives had attended could not be dealt with; and whether, in these circumstances, the Department will refund the expenses incurred in consequence of the advice given by the Department?
§ Sir R. HORNERepresentatives of this committee attended a further meeting of a Court of arbitration to consider questions relating to the running sheds at Eastleigh. This Court was convened at the request of the committee and the matters to be decided were well understood. The committee, however, came prepared to deal with the grievances in the shops as well as in the sheds, but the former question was not before the Court and was not dealt with. As the hon. Member is doubtless aware, expenses of parties to arbitrations cannot ordinarily be defrayed by the Government, and after careful consideration no special reason was seen in this case for departing from this practice.