HC Deb 05 March 1947 vol 434 c67W
68. Mr. Joynson-Hicks

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty why his Department requires in its contracts that the contractor shall grant office accommodation with telephone to a trade union representative to be stationed on the site of the contract; what are the duties of the representative; who pays for his expense; and who appoints him.

Mr. W. Edwards

During the war important Government works contracts, which were often carried out in remote areas, provided for the employment of a site officer to facilitate the solution of labour difficulties, etc., on the site, and for the provision by the contractor of office accommodation and telephone facilities for his use. These officers were appointed by the Ministry of Works on nomination by the operatives' side of the building industry. The expenses were at first met by the individual department concerned as an addition to the contract price, but after September, 1943, the cost was met by the Ministry of Works. The system came to an end in the autumn of 1946, and it was by an oversight that provision for the facilities in question was included in a few recent Admiralty contract documents inviting tenders.