20. Mr. H. Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for War for what reason established employees of the Royal Ordnance Factory, Fazakerley, are being 73W officially informed that they must take up work at a private enterprise munitions factory in Birmingham or face dismissal and loss of pension rights; and whether he will offer to workers, for whom no work is available at Fazakerley and who are unable or unwilling to move their households to the Midlands, the right to leave Royal Ordnance factory service with a gratuity equivalent to their accumulated pension rights.
§ Mr. SoamesI believe that the right hon. Member is referring to three men employed as examiners in the Inspectorate of Armaments. They were sent for a month to a factory in Birmingham where rifles are being made for the Army. This work is subject to Government inspection. The posting of the examiners was necessary and part of their normal duties.
The wider issue in the second part of the Question is covered by an agreement concluded with the trade unions in 1958. I will send the right hon. Member a copy of it.
21. Mr. H. Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for War if he will transfer to factories in development districts, such as the Royal Ordnance factory, Fazakerley, work at present being placed with private firms and with Royal Ordnance factories in areas of labour shortage, in order to encourage the achievement of full employment and economy in the use of public money.
§ Mr. SoamesSince this Question was put down, I have said, in an Answer last Friday to my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mr. Matthews) that the Royal Ordnance Factory, Fazakerley, is. to be closed early next year.
Before coming, with great regret, to this decision, I naturally considered the possibility of transferring work to Fazakerley from other factories, public and private. But, as hon. Members know, the fall in production of armaments in this country in recent years has already brought about the closure of seven Royal Ordnance factories. It was inevitable that, once the re-equipment of the Army with modern small arms was completed, our remaining small arms production should come to be concentrated in a single factory, at Enfield. One private firm, the Birmingham Small Arms Company, are making rifles for us but they too have 74W been told that no further orders for rifles should be expected to follow the completion of their present contract.