§ 33. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the success of German, Dutch, Scandinavian and other foreign shipyards in their competition for relevant orders with British, and particularly Scottish, shipyards, which is causing increasing unemployment in certain British shipyards, particularly in Aberdeen; and if he will state the results of his investigation into the effects of these conditions on the increased unemployment in the British shipyards affected and the steps he is now taking, giving details, to attract orders to and reduce unemployment in those shipyards.
§ Mr. MarplesI am aware that competition for shipbuilding orders is intense, but I have no information about any orders being lost by Aberdeen to foreign yards. Employment in shipbuilding in the United Kingdom as a whole was higher in November than it has been for two years.
§ Mr. HughesDoes the Minister realise that it is very important for Britain to maintain her standard of shipbuilding and that it is necessary for the Ministry to devise a positive plan to that end and to avoid the migration of workers from shipbuilding ports to places like Luton, where they have not satisfactory residention accommodation?
§ Mr. MarplesI have already seen the Shipbuilding Conference and the Shipbuilding Advisory Committee and only last week I saw the chairman of the Shipbuilding Advisory Committee. I hope that the proposals will come from the industry itself. I will do my best to assist it.