§ Mr. BETTERTONasked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that a large number of men have been dismissed or are under notice to leave the Royal Army Ordnance Depot at Chilwell, he will say how many of these men are ex-service men; whether men from other depots are being drafted to take the places of those discharged; if so, how many men have been so drafted to Chilwell; and whether, in view of the unemployment already existing in the neighbourhood of Chilwell and the consequent distress, he will give directions that the claims of ex-service men who 1365W have been there employed be given priority of consideration to those of men from other depots?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANS681 men are at present under notice of discharge on reduction of establishment at the Ordnance Depot, Chilwell, of whom 530 are ex-service men. No men are being drafted in to take the place of the men under discharge, but recently 12 ex-service men, mostly officers and men of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, have been brought in from the Ordnance Depots at Georgetown and Aintree to fill vacancies in the establishment of the higher supervisory posts, for which their corps qualifications made them particularly suitable and for which ex-service men of similar qualifications were not locally available. No further transfers from other Ordnance Depots are contemplated.