HC Deb 10 December 1959 vol 615 cc718-20
9. Mr. Jay

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has now discussed with machine-tool manufacturers the affairs of their industry; and what steps he proposes to take as a result of these discussions to improve the efficiency of the industry.

Mr. Erroll

As my right hon. Friend said in answer to the right hon. Member's Question on 26th November, responsibility for the efficiency of the industry rests with the industry itself. At a meeting of the Machine Tool Advisory Council held on 2nd December at which my right hon. Friend presided, the industry welcomed a decision that a committee should be set up to report to the Council on certain aspects of methods of production.

Mr. Jay

Has not the Report from the D.S.I.R. to the Government shown that a major part of the British machine tool industry is falling seriously behind the American, German and Russian industries? As this is of major importance for the future of the country, is it not a responsibility of the Board of Trade to take action about it? Can the Minister say what his Department will do when these consultations have taken place?

Mr. Erroll

We thought that it would be best for the Committee to study the matter and let us know what it thinks.

Mr. Jay

May we be assured that, when this further committee has reported, the Board of Trade will take some action?

Mr. Erroll

Initially, the action will be to study the report.

14. Mr. Edelman

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the steady decline of skilled manpower in the machine-tool industry; and what contribution he will make towards revitalising the industry and promoting its expansion.

Mr. Erroll

No, Sir. Skilled and other workers are not distinguished in the figures of employment in the industry collected by the Ministry of Labour, but I have no reason to think that the increase which is taking place in total employment in the industry does not apply to skilled workers. There has also been a notable increase in new orders.

Mr. Edelman

Is it a fact that since 1957 the number of workers in the industry has declined from 120,000 to 111,000? Further, is not it a fact that, despite what the Minister has said, the number of orders in hand has declined by half since 1957, and that the number of export orders in hand has declined by one third? Why is there so much secrecy about this vitally important industry? Did not the D.S.I.R. recommend that there should be centralisation of research to prevent this industry falling still further behind technically compared with its competitors?

Mr. Erroll

I have already dealt with the D.S.I.R. Report in answering an earlier Question. I understand that new orders in the second quarter of 1959 were 22 per cent. above the level for the same period in 1958, while export orders were £4.8 million, or 32 per cent., above the corresponding period of last year.

Mr. Edelman

May I ask the Minister to recheck those figures? I received my figures from his Department and they show that in July, 1957, £89 million worth of orders were in hand, and in August,1959, there were only £49 million.

Mr. Erroll

I think that the hon. Gentleman and I had better look at each other's figures.