§ Viscountess ASTORasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many lower clerical women have been treated as redundant in the Public Trustee's Office 1573W and how many lower clerical men; whether men junior to the women transferred have been retained; whether the women treated as redundant have been asked to sign a voluntary application for transfer to another Department, accepting all risk for loss of seniority on transfer; and, in view of the fact that officers voluntarily applying for a transfer normally start as new entrants in the Department to which they are transferred, why these transfers are confined from the lower clerical grade to women officers?
Mr. YOUNGBy means of a recent reorganisation it has been found possible to effect a reduction of the personnel in a number of sections staffed by women. As a result, 36 women officers of the clerical grade employed in these sections have been declared redundant. No male officers of the clerical grade have been affected by this reorganisation and none have been declared redundant. Officers declared redundant were invited to sign the usual application form for transfer to another Department, and were informed that the question of their seniority in the new Department was reserved for the time being, the general question of seniority being at present under consideration by the National Whitley Council.