§ 74. Mr. Snaddenasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty on what basis selection was made of the men to be discharged as redundant in the Naval Stores Depot, Almondbank, Perthshire, in March, 1947; to what extent the basis of selection was influenced by trade union preferences; and why, of the 17 men discharged, 14 were ex-Servicemen.
§ Mr. W. EdwardsThe basis on which men were selected for discharge on redundancy at the Royal Naval Stores Depot, Almondbank, in March, 1947, was in accordance with an agreement between the trade union and official sides of the Admiralty Industrial Council, which regulates the procedure in such circumstances at all Admiralty Establishments. Under this agreement, efficiency, length of service and the completion of an Admiralty apprenticeship are all taken into consideration; no special preference is given to trade unionists. At Almondbank, 235W the number selected for discharge included such a high proportion of ex-Servicemen because they were junior in length of service and either had no claim to reinstatement in Admiralty employment or had already been reinstated for the statutory period.