§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1) whether she will amend the procedures for the issue of dispensations rby her Department for women to work; night shift so that the interests and representations of all trades unions concerned may be adequately consulted;
(2) what representations from trade unions concerned were sought before a dispensation was recently issued to permit women to work night shift at Shuresta Mirecki Limited, Bayton Road, Exhall, Coventry;
37W(3) what is the present procedure for granting a dispensation to permit women to work night shift; and whether she will make a statement.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerAn employer's application to set up a night shift for women is investigated by a factory inspector, who is instructed to obtain the views of a representative number of the workers concerned, and normally of any union of which they are in membership. The application and the inspector's written report on it are then considered at headquarters before a decision to grant an exemption order is made. In this case the women concerned were not members of any trade union, but the Amalgamated Union of Engineering and Foundry Workers is known to be interested and its views were sought.