§ 85. Mr. Pounderasked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he proposes to take to eliminate the fears of redundancy currently being felt by Army Workshop employees in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ReynoldsThe workload of the Command Workshop at Kinnegar has, in common with that of other R.E.M.E. Workshops, been reducing for some time, because the Army has found that considerable savings can be made by replacing vehicles at the end of their economic life, instead of continuing to repair them beyond that stage as had been done in the past. A recent review of the establishment showed that 157 more staff were being employed than are required for the foreseeable future work and the staff were told on 11th January that redundancy will arise this year. With considerable reluctance and after informing the Northern Ireland Minister of Commerce, who has made representations, the establishment has been reduced to the size appropriate to the work to be done. To alleviate hardship to the employees as much as possible, the reduction will not be fully effected until October, 1965. This will give those who will lose their jobs as long as possible to find other employment.