HC Deb 27 May 1946 vol 423 cc808-10
25. Mr. Hector Hughes

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the name, location, future work and number of men and women, respectively, to be employed in the Government factory allocated to Aberdeen.

Mr. Belcher

I assume that my hon. and learned Friend is referring to the Government factory on the Tullos Estate at Aberdeen which, as my right hon. and learned Friend informed him on nth February, 1946, has been allocated to Tullos, Limited, for manufacture of agricultural machinery. The company hope to employ about 400 men and 200 women by the end of this year, these numbers rising eventually to 650 men and 300 women.

29. Mr. Hector Hughes

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a survey and issue a statement as to factories and potential productivity of, and in, the city of Aberdeen, with a view to an extension of its varied industries.

Mr. Belcher

As regards the extension of industry in the city of Aberdeen, I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the answers given to him on 17th December, 1945, and nth February, 1946, respectively. I do not propose to make a special survey of factories and their productivity within the city of Aberdeen; the second part of the Question does not, therefore, arise.

Mr. Hughes

Is my hon. Friend aware that there are available a great many sites other than those to which he has referred in previous answers, and would he make a survey of them with a view to developing the potentiality of Aberdeen to the utmost?

Mr. Belcher

What my hon. and learned Friend is asking me to do is, to a certain extent, being done as a matter of course through the Scottish Regional Office of the Board of Trade, but we are not prepared to adopt the same methods with regard to Aberdeen as we are using in the case of the development areas. I do not think a case could be made out for special efforts to be directed to Aberdeen in view of the more special need of the development areas.

Mr. Hughes

Does my hon. Friend realise that Aberdeen, by reason of its geographical position being so far North, stands in a very special position and does require such a survey?

30. Mr. Hector Hughes

asked the President of the Board of Trade which is the factory in Aberdeen for which an extension is approved but not yet started; when will the building of the extension start and finish; what is the present area of this factory and what will be its extended area; what work will it do; how many persons, male and female, respectively, has it hitherto employed and how many, male and female, respectively, will it employ when it is completed.

Mr. Belcher

The factory is that of the North Eastern Agricultural Co-operative Society at Bannermill Works, Aberdeen. Work on the extension is expected to start in June and to be completed within a period of six to nine months. The area of the existing factory is about 38,000 square feet and the extension will add a further 30,000 square feet which will be used to house new granulating plant for the production of compound fertilisers. At present, the factory employs 25 males and seven females, and on completion it is expected to employ 40 males and 12 females.

Mr. Hughes

Having regard to the number of people available for employment in Aberdeen, will the hon. Gentleman take steps to expedite the completion of the extension to which he refers?

Mr. Belcher

I will see that the extension is completed as soon as it possibly can be.