§ 26. Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he expects the four portal cranes ordered for the port of Immingham to be completed and in working order.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI understand from the British Transport Commission that the first crane should be ready for operation by April and that they expect all four to be in operation before the end of July.
§ Mr. OsborneIs my right hon. Friend aware that on 16th October, 1952, his predecessor promised me that the first crane would be delivered in the next month—November, 1952—and the last one in May, 1953? Does not my right hon. Friend think that two years' delay is too much?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterMy right hon. Friend neither gave, nor would he be able to give, any such promise. This is a matter between the owners of the port—the British Transport Commission—and the manufacturers of the cranes. What my right hon. Friend did was to 387 pass on the information which the suppliers had given to him, and which turned out to be unduly optimistic.
§ Mr. OsborneOn a point of order. My right hon. Friend has said, Mr. Speaker, that what I said in my supplementary question is not true, and I have quoted from HANSARD.
§ Mr. SpeakerThere was no accusation of untruthfulness against the hon. Member that I heard. The Minister disagreed with the hon. Member's rendering of the facts, but that is quite usual in this House.