§ 14. Mr. Nabarroasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made to date by the Iron and Steel Holding and Realisation Agency in denationalising the steel industry; and what part of the total British iron and steel industry, expressed both as a percentage of total capacity, and in capacity tons per annum, remains still to be denationalised at the latest convenient date.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerWith the sale of the ordinary shares of Dorman Long and Company, 16 undertakings and their 146 subsidiaries will have ceased to be publicly-owned or controlled. In the aggregate these companies account for about one-half of the activities carried on by the companies which were nationalised. The products of all these companies are not, of course, identical, and it would be misleading to try to express this statement in terms of output of a single type.
§ Mr. NabarroIs not this very satisfactory progress, and are the results which my right hon. Friend has just announced not an earnest of the confidence of the British electorate in the future prospects of the Government?
§ Mr. ButlerThe answer, in general, is yes.
§ Mr. GaitskellCould the right hon. Gentleman say how much more is now to be paid in dividends and interest to the new shareholders, as compared with what was paid under nationalisation?
§ Mr. ButlerI have not those figures available.