§ 112. Miss Vickersasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware that his Department is employing a Nottingham firm to build new married quarters in Plymouth and employing Nottingham painters, etc., when he is giving this type of worker already in the Admiralty service a fortnight's notice; and if he will take steps to prevent in the future the employment of outside labour when local labour is available.
§ Mr. T. G. D. Galbraith:The contract for building the married quarters to which my honourable Friend refers is a large one awarded as long ago as March, 1956, to a Birmingham firm after fully competitive tender. A Nottingham firm is employed by the main contractor as subcontractor for the painting work. Selection of labour is of course a matter for the contractor and sub-contractor themselves, but in fact all the painters employed have been recruited locally. Indeed, I am informed that the whole of the labour force employed has been drawn from Ply mouth. Devonport, and neighbouring towns.
It is the usual Admiralty practice to employ direct labour on repair and maintenance work and on certain minor works services, and the contraction of Navy Votes has made it necessary to reduce the expenditure on such work. In the 110W event of redundancy it is our aim to transfer the labour to other services if this is possible, and I very much regret that in the present instance it was not practicable to do so.