§ 61. Mr. Mayhewasked the Minister of Supply whether he will make a statement on the future of Woolwich Arsenal, in the light of the Twelfth Report of the Select Committee on Estimates.
§ 64. Sir Edward Keelingasked the Minister of Supply whether, in view of the Twelfth Report of the Select Committee on Estimates, it is intended to dispose of Woolwich Arsenal.
§ Mr. SandysI will, with permission, answer Questions 61 and 64 together.
§ Mr. MayhewOn a point of order. I object to being associated in any way with Question No. 64, Sir, which is plainly an ill-informed Question.
§ Mr. SandysThen my answer to the hon. Member is that I would refer him to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Orpington (Sir W. Smithers) on 24th November.
§ Mr. MayhewWhile thanking the Minister for his reply, may I ask if his difficulty is not due to his failure to decide on a consistent long-term policy for using the resources of the Arsenal in the best way? Would he now take a decision on this and make a statement?
§ Mr. SandysIf it is due to my failure, it is also due to the failure of a whole succession of previous Ministers of Supply. As the right hon. Member for Vauxhall (Mr. G. R. Strauss) knows well, this is a long-standing problem to which there is no easy solution.
§ Mr. ShinwellIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that way back in 1929 a scheme was prepared for the production 1106 at the Arsenal of articles for civilian use? It did not develop, but nevertheless the scheme was there, and no doubt it could be made available to the right hon. Gentleman. And as the re-armament programme tapers off, is it not desirable that we should utilise the right equipment in factories of this kind for the purpose of producing articles for civilian use?
§ Mr. SandysThat was rather before my time, but I think the right hon. Gentleman, when he was Minister of Defence, probably recognised the complexity of the problem of Woolwich Arsenal. The present set-up is obviously not ideal, but it would be unfortunate to do anything which might impair the war potential of the Arsenal. I will gladly look into any scheme which the right hon. Gentleman suggests, but the problem has been looked at many times, and is by no means easy to solve.
§ Mr. ShinwellIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Director of Production at Woolwich Arsenal, in 1929, himself recommended that in view of the diminution in armament production at that time the factory should be switched on to civilian production? Will he examine the problem in that light?
§ Mr. SandysThe right hon. Gentleman and his colleagues had six years in which to examine this problem.
§ Mr. G. R. StraussDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that a high proportion of Woolwich Arsenal was occupied with the production of civilian goods during the post-war years, under a Socialist Government?