§ 18. Colonel Ropnerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps are being taken to ensure that German industrialists and metal merchants do not fail to carry out arrangements for the supply of scrap metal to this country.
§ Mr. BevinThe German authorities are now responsible for assisting the scrap industry in the Combined zone to increase output both for domestic use and for export. The Anglo-American authorities are constantly impressing on them the urgency of this task.
§ Colonel RopnerIs the right hon. Gentleman convinced that the Germans are carrying out their obligations in this respect?
§ Mr. BevinThey have delivered a good deal. I cannot say that they are quite up to date in their deliveries, but there are a lot of other factors involved as well.
§ Mr. StokesMay I ask whether the main difficulty in effecting deliveries is not that under the Potsdam Agreement they are prevented from having enough rolling stock?
§ Mr. HouseIs my right hon. Friend aware that the short delivery of scrap from Germany is having a serious effect on the iron and steel industry of this country?
§ Mr. BevinI am afraid I cannot answer these questions. They should be put to the Minister of Supply. I can say, however, that I noticed the other day in an answer, or in the paper, that there was no hold up of the steel industry of this country through scrap at the present moment.
§ Mr. Skeffington-LodgeWill my right hon. Friend look at the question of the staffing of a Department which has been set up to collect this scrap metal? At the present moment I gather that only 45 per cent. of the staff originally expected is actually at work. That is an important consideration, and I ask him to look into it.