§ 14. Mr. Edelmanasked the First Lord of the Admiralty what prohibitions are imposed by his Department against the allocation of contracts to Coventry; and whether he has considered the case of a Coventry company, particulars of which have been sent to him, which although possessing the necessary labour, materials and capacity, has been informed by his contracts department that it may not tender for Admiralty work, in spite of the fact that in the past it has done such work for many years.
§ Mr. J. P. L. ThomasCertain restrictions on the placing of Government contracts in the area have been in force for some time, because the demand for skilled labour so far exceeded the supply that it became desirable, in the interests of defence and export production, to ease the load of work in the area. The present need for continuing these arrangements is being examined, and the firm to which the hon. Member refers will be invited to tender for Admiralty work should the restrictions be removed.
§ Mr. EdelmanWhile thanking the right hon. Gentleman for that reply, may I ask him if he is aware that, owing to the slump in the motor industry and the lack of defence contracts, in Coventry there are skilled men being diverted to semiskilled work? Will he not make a contribution to guard against that danger?
§ Mr. ThomasThose are just the points that are under consideration at the present time. I should just like to remind 1374 the hon. Gentleman that in October—and these are the latest figures I have—there were still 2,301 vacancies unfilled. However, those points he has made and all other relevant points are under constant review at the moment.