§ 1. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that the supplies of steel allocated to the shipyards of Aberdeen are insufficient for their needs; what steps he is taking to increase the allocation to them; and by how much.
§ The Civil Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. Wingfield Digby)The shortage of steel at Aberdeen shipyards was due not to inadequate allocations but to the shipbuilders' inability to obtain the steel which they had been authorised to acquire. I hope that the new steel plate distribution scheme announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply on 20th April will effect an improvement in the plate supplies to these firms.
§ Mr. HughesIs the Minister aware that, whether it is due to shortage of allocation or to any other reason, the result is the same for the shipbuilding yards, 1218 and that leaders in the shipbuilding industry say that they have full order books which they are unable to discharge owing to shortage of steel, that Britain is in that way losing her place as a shipbuilding nation and that unemployment is being created? Will the Minister see that adequate supplies of steel are forthcoming to enable Britain to maintain her place in the world's shipbuilding markets?
§ Mr. DigbyThe question of the supply of steel is, of course, one for the Ministry of Supply and not for me. With regard to the case of Aberdeen, I am aware of the difficulty there has been there, and Aberdeen will get its share of the 10, 000 tons of plate which are being imported by the British Iron and Steel Federation from Austria.