§ 29. Mr. Diamondasked the Minister of Aviation whether, in the light of the present position with regard to transport aircraft, he is now prepared to secure such further work for the Whitworth-Gloster aircraft factory at Hucclecote as will prevent large-scale redundancy there prior to a new tenant being found.
§ Mr. ThorneycroftNo, Sir.
§ Mr. DiamondIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that that Answer is extremely short and appears to lend support to the view, which is rapidly gaining ground, that he has washed his hands of this affair and that he is not a bit interested in some 1,500 to 2,000 unemployed in the area of my constituency? Has his attention been drawn to the new Air Services Supplementary Estimate, in which there is reference to the unexpected acceleration in the rate of delivery of new aircraft, which refers more closely to figures of £13£ million for airframes? Does he recollect that the latest policy of Her Majesty's Government, as announced by the right hon. Gentleman 16 minutes ago, was to welcome suggestions for the building of aircraft? In these circumstances, is he not prepared to reconsider the matter and to give a more sympathetic and understanding reply?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftThe fact that the Answer is short does not mean that it is unsympathetic, but that it is accurate and to the point. It is no good adding to it. Allocation of work within the Hawker group is a matter for Hawker's, not for me. It is inevitable that in its reorganisation the group is concentrating work on particular factories. The group announced only the other day that an 932 order is in process of negotiation with it for the Avro 748, which will bring substantial work to the group as a whole. I cannot, however, allocate work within the particular factories.