§ 18. Dame Irene Wardasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the difficulty being experienced by shipbuilders in obtaining new orders to replace contracts now being completed; and whether he will discuss with the Civil Lord of the Admiralty the possibility of accelerating the naval shipbuilding programme.
§ Mr. HeathI am aware of the difficulties and I am keeping in touch with my hon. Friend the Civil Lord and my other colleagues on the subject.
§ Dame Irene WardWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for that encouraging reply, may I ask him to bear in mind, first, that very rightly the Government are doing something about redundancy in the mines and finding money for the enormous coal stocks? Secondly, will he bear in mind the amount of money being spent in Scotland and Wales? Will he remember that the shipyard industry on the North-East Coast needs some help as well?
§ Mr. HeathYes. I quite understand that position and I hope to go to the North-East Coast for the last two days of next week to see the position for myself.