§ 50. Mr. Brockwayasked the Prime Minister on what conditions the Atomic Energy Authority of the United Kingdom has offered to purchase uranium-bearing ores from small producers in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Atomic Energy Authority's offer contains a number of detailed conditions and is therefore a lengthy document. I am arranging for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member and one will be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. BrockwayWhile thanking the right hon. Gentleman, may I ask him if there is any danger that there may be a scrambling and chaotic competition between a large number of prospectors and miners and whether it would be possible to co-ordinate their activities on a co-operative basis similar to farmers' co-operatives?
§ The Prime MinisterI will certainly take that into account. As the hon. Gentleman probably knows, the main purpose of this offer is to encourage enterprise in private prospecting and thereby to offer to buy quite small tonnage of these materials rather than the ordinary large-scale contracts. That, I think the hon. Gentleman will agree, would be to the benefit of everybody. Whether that can be co-ordinated in some way I will certainly look into and see whether we can combine the benefits of both systems.