HC Deb 01 March 1961 vol 635 cc1588-90
46. Mr. Shinwell

asked the Minister of Transport if he has now considered the proposals submitted to him by British shipping interests; and what conclusions he has reached.

62. Mr. Willey

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will make a further statement on his examination of the proposals of the Chamber of Shipping regarding British shipping policy.

Mr. Marples

I held a general preliminary discussion on their proposals with the General Council of British Shipping on 8th February. Since then, there have been further discussions on various specific matters and these discussions are continuing.

Mr. Shinwell

Is not the right hon. Gentleman taking a long time to make up his mind about the proposals submitted to him by the Chamber of Shipping and other shipping interests? Does not this delay prove conclusively what I have been saying for a long time, that the right hon. Gentleman has far too much on his plate and should transfer to some other Minister the responsibility for shipping and shipbuilding? Will he convey these views to his right hon. Friend the Prime Minister?

Mr. Marples

I think the right hon. Gentleman is being a little unfair, which is most unusual for him. The General Council of British Shipping knows its own business best and as well as anyone in this House. It took the Council eighteen months to formulate the proposals, to which I have replied at once, and we are arranging a method of discussing the proposals and the order of priority attaching to them.

Mr. Willey

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the shipping industry shares the views of my right hon. Friend?

Mr. Marples

I did not observe that when its representatives met me on 8th February. 1 particularly brought some pretty specimens of thought from the right hon. Gentleman and some of them were dissented from.

Mr. P. Williams

Will my right hon. Friend recognise that the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) is joining my "band wagon" at last—thank goodness? Will he therefore recognise that one of the prime problems confronting both the shipping and the shipbuilding industry is one of taxation, and will he take a stand in relation to the Treasury and support the shipping industry in this matter?

Mr. Marples

Matters of taxation are for my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and not for me. I am not the Chancellor. Perhaps my hon. Friend will put down a question. I can assure him that those representations will be made to the Chancellor.

Mr. Hector Hughes

To take only one aspect of the Minister's work to which he seems unable to devote time, what is he doing about flag discrimination, which is referred to in my Question No. 42?

Mr. Marples

I should have been delighted to answer that had the hon. and learned Member been in his place.

Mr. Peyton

Although I certainly would not blame him for taking a long time in looking into this very complicated problem, may I ask my right hon. Friend if he is aware of the fact that many of us feel that this problem has never been looked at at a proper level by Governments, nor for long enough? Without wishing to make gibes or accusations against the Americans, we feel that no one has ever yet from this country put strongly enough to the Americans the views which we hold, nor done that at the right level. I hope he will be able to do so at the earliest opportunity.

Mr. Marples

I think our views on flag discrimination have been very strongly presented to America, but that is another Question and belongs to the hon. and learned Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Hector Hughes). No doubt he will postpone his Question until next week and we shall be able. to deal with it then.

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