asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty, with reference to craftsmen, builders, and carpenters in the works department of His Majesty's Dockyard, Devonport, whether he is aware that those craftsmen are paid a wage which is equal to 1s. 3d. per hour, whereas the outside wage recognised by the trade unions is 1s. 6½d. per hour; that the hours worked by these craftsmen are 47 per week, whereas the hours recognised by the building trades outside are 44 per week; and that outside builders expect another increase of 1½d. per hour which, when conceded, will place the builders and carpenters in the dockyard at a disadvantage of 5½d. per hour as compared with similar workers outside; and whether, seeing that the wages and hours of the nationalised employés in His Majesty's dockyards compare unfavourably with the wages and hours of similar workers employed by private enterprise, and that a recent application for masons and carpenters for entry in the Royal Dockyard could not be supplied owing to the low rate of wages, he will take steps to increase the wages and decrease the working hours of the nationalised employés in His Majesty's Dockyard so that their wages and hours may be at least as advantageous as the wages and hours of workers engaged in private enterprise?

Mr. T. WILLIAMS:

Is it in Order for an hon. Member to refer to employés in the Royal dockyards as "nationalised employés"?

I do not know what the term means.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of the 20th February to a somewhat similar question.

May I have an answer to this particular question? It is a specific question.

The answer to which I have referred the hon. Member deals with the matter.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the circumstances outlined in the question are causing great discontent among the men, and that owing to the demand for labour in the building trades we may find a shortage of these craftsmen in the Royal dockyards? In view of this situation, would it not be better if his Department revised their ideas in regard to these craftsmen?

Am I not entitled to an answer to a specific question, the subject matter of which has never been raised before by me? I am referred to the answer to a question which had nothing to do with this subject.

The Minister says that the previous answer covered the subject.

It is not a fact.

Are the cases at all comparable, seeing that the men in the Royal dockyards have regular work and pensions, and are not on the same basis as men working outside?

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I will raise the question on the Adjournment to-morrow night.