HC Deb 22 December 1954 vol 535 cc2736-8
11. Mr. Hobson

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what answer he gave to the trade union side of the Admiralty Industrial Council of 18th November to the request that discharges should be deferred until the end of the year at the Royal Naval Repair Yard at Belfast; and what steps he is taking to transfer work there to avoid further redundancy and unemployment.

Mr. J. P. L. Thomas

The position remains as described in the answer given by my hon. Friend the Civil Lord to my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast, East (Mr. McKibbin) and my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Belfast, North (Lieut.-Colonel Hyde) on 27th November.

Mr. Hobson

As there is now redundancy at the Royal Naval Repair Yard in Belfast and there is considerable unemployment amongst engineers in Belfast and Northern Ireland generally, particularly in Newry and Larne, will the right hon. Gentleman approach other Government Departments to ensure that work is allocated to Northern Ireland? Will he also see that some of the work is transferred from other dockyards to Belfast in order to give employment to these highly skilled workers?

Mr. Thomas

I cannot give a definite promise on that last point, but I can assure the hon. Member that the Government Departments concerned are constantly in touch on this problem of unemployment in Northern Ireland, which we know is serious. I am sorry that these men had to leave this yard, but the work was not there. After all, only 5 per cent. of the men employed in the yard were found to be redundant.

Mr. McKibbin

Is my right hon. Friend aware that I have taken this matter up with the Admiralty on several occasions since 17th November? Is he also aware that, while I welcome help in this matter from hon. Members on the Opposition benches and, indeed, from any quarter, most of the people concerned are my constituents?

Mr. Robens

In view of the very alarming high level of unemployment in Northern Ireland, will the right hon. Gentleman say what conversations he has had with the Home Secretary who has special responsibility for Northern Ireland in connection with this matter?

Mr. Thomas

The Home Secretary is the person who calls us together. I have been in touch with the Ministers concerned, and of course our officials in the various Departments are in touch with each other on the subject. It is being very closely watched.

Mr. Robens

I have no doubt that the contracts are extremely valuable, but may we know the outcome of the contracts? So far, it has meant increasing unemployment in Northern Ireland, and in the case of the right hon. Gentleman's own particular responsibility unemployment came at a very unhappy time of the year, towards Christmas and the New Year. It seems to me that the contacts that have been made have not produced very good results.

Mr. Thomas

We are placed in a very great difficulty. I am sorry that these redundancies have occurred at this time of the year, but the work was not there and could not be found for these people. The employers were hardly justified in keeping this small 5 per cent. of the total number of workers.