§ Sir E. Erringtonasked the Secretary of State for War what changes are proposed for Command Ordnance Depots in the Aldershot district and Southern Command; what number of civilian employees are affected; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ProfumoOwing to the run-down of the Army, the Command Ordnance Depots in Southern Command will ultimately be as follows:—
- Command Ordnance Depot at Thatcham.
- Command Ordnance Sub Depot at Aldershot.
- Command Ordnance Sub Depot at Warminster.
- Command Ordnance Sub Depot at Taunton.
The Command Ordnance Depot at Aldershot will be reduced in size and will become a sub depot of Thatcham by 1st April, 1964.
The other existing Command Ordnance Depots and Sub Depots in Southern Command will eventually be closed, but in most cases this will not occur until 1st April, 1964. The staffs of the depots concerned are being kept fully informed of my Department's plans.
The ultimate size of the staffs of the depots which are to remain has not yet 62W been assessed in detail and therefore at this stage I cannot say how much redundancy will result from this reorganisation.
Established staff will of course be offered transfer to other War Department establishments in the normal way, and wastage over the next two years should mitigate the impact of redundancy on temporary staff.