§ 28. Mr. E. WILLIAMSasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will furnish the figures of British shipping and the tonnage that is over 20 years old; 1711 and whether any action can be taken to ensure that old ships are destroyed and not sold to foreign competitors?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe latest official figures of the age classification of British vessels which are readily available relate to 31st December, 1930. At that date the tonnage of vessels registered under Part I of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, at ports in the United Kingdom (including the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) was 20,332,000 tons gross, of which 3,557,000 tons gross were over 20 years old. As regards the second part of the question the Committee on Obsolete Tonnage in April, 1931, reported against any restriction on freedom of sale, and I am not aware of any circumstances which have arisen to modify the conclusion reached by the Committee.