§ 44 and 45. Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty (1) what will be the total saving when the assisted travel scheme now operating in the Royal dockyards is finally abolished; and what sum is currently being paid under the scheme to workers in Rosyth Dockyard;
(2) if he will make a statement on the plan to run down and eventually abolish the assisted travel scheme as it applies in Rosyth Dockyard.
§ 46. Mr. Gourlayasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how many employees in Rosyth Dockyard travel from Burntisland, Kinghorn, and Kirkcaldy, respectively; and what will be the total saving in respect of these persons when the assisted travel scheme, now operating in the dockyard, is abolished.
§ Dr. A. Thompsonasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty what were the reasons that led him to terminate the assisted travel scheme for dockyard workers at Rosyth over the next five years, in view of the fact that an expanded labour force was originally attracted to Rosyth dockyard by the promise by his Department of an assisted travel scheme.
§ Mr. C. Ian Orr-EwingAssisted travel schemes were a wartime innovation and we have always made it clear that the assistance provided under such schemes is not a condition of service. They are all now being reviewed. This review will cover the scheme at Rosyth, which is the only Royal Dockyard where a scheme operates, but we have not reached the stage of making a decision about changes. The cost of the Rosyth scheme, after taking into account employees' contributions, is now about £45,000 a year. Of this, £15,000 is paid in respect of employees from Burntisland, Kinghorn and Kirkcaldy, who number 99, 37 and 396, respectively.