HC Deb 12 April 1965 vol 710 cc952-5
41. Mr. Goodhart

asked the Minister of Labour what assistance his officers will give to scientists, technologists, skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers made redundant following the cancellation of the TSR2 contract.

Mr. Marsh

As soon as they are informed that workers are to be discharged in their areas, our local officers are ready to interview those concerned at their place of work in order to help to arrange alternative employment or any necessary training. Where appropriate, interviewing teams will include specialist officers of the Professional and Executive Register.

Mr. Goodhart

Is the hon. Gentleman aware of the widespread fear that many of these workers will end up making plastic birdbaths or in other jobs where their special skills will not be used to the full? Will he, therefore, set up a special register so that everyone may know what happens to this important section of the community?

Mr. Marsh

Having failed to face some of these problems for so long, I find it mildly revolting that hon. Members opposite now play on the fears and anxieties of these men for political ends. Generally speaking, we expect no serious difficulty, but the prospects of individuals depend on their qualifications, and, to some extent, on the area in which they live. I cannot be more specific at the moment until further information is available. Nonetheless, the Ministry is dealing with this problem very, very closely at the moment, and one can only hope that hon. Members opposite will possibly even co-operate in this problem.

Mr. Godber

The first part of the hon. Gentleman's reply was really very disgraceful in view of the Government's attitude on this matter. They alone have unnecessarily created this problem and they should take special measures to safeguard the interests of the many thousands of people involved.

Mr. Marsh

If the right hon. Gentleman had not been blinded by his own "phoney" indignation he would have heard me say that the Ministry is in process of taking special steps to meet this unfortunate situation, which need never have arisen if hon. Members opposite had had the guts to face it some years ago.

Sir G. Nicholson

Is it not an abuse of Question Time that these cheap sneers and rudenesses should be introduced?

Mr. Speaker

It is, and I hope that we can get rid of it. If I intervene all the time, even more time is occupied. It is done on both sides of the House. I hope that we can get rid of it.

Mr. Maxwell

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that if we are to carry out the Government's policy of diverting resources from defence purposes to peaceful uses there will be further redundancies in the armaments industry? We need to carry out an experiment to find out how we can use for peaceful purposes the scientific and technological manpower which is being released. Would my hon. Friend use the people released from the TSR2 project to run such an experiment with private industry?

Mr. Speaker

I do not think that we can go outside the electricity industry, because that is all the Question relates to.

Mr. Maxwell

On a point of order. Question No. 41 deals with the TSR2 contract.

Mr. Speaker

I beg pardon. I was reading the wrong Question.

Mr. Marsh

The whole House is aware that there is an enormous demand for men with these particular skills. This is a difficult problem which the Government are facing up to. We are using the resources of the Ministry of Labour to avoid hardship and to try to steer these men into areas of employment where they are very much in demand. There is no reason whatsoever why anybody should seek to exacerbate the fears which these men understandably have. The position is very much under control and it can be dealt with.

Sir A. V. Harvey

What equivalent work will be available for the top scientists and the senior aerodynamicists on this project? It is men such as these who over the years have been going to America because the work here was not sufficiently exciting to them. If this work stops, where will they go? Further, will the hon. Gentleman show less indignation because this Question has been reached today?

Mr. Marsh

The hon. Gentleman has a nasty suspicious mind. Taking the last batch of redundancies in the area of Hawker Siddeley where we had similar problems with design team staff, the Government offered then and are prepared to offer now retraining at universities—fellowships and so on—for people at this very high level of academic qualification. We had one application for assistance from the redundant workers at Hawker Siddeley, and that man is now at Southampton University. The Ministry is prepared to look at any individual cases of men of this type to see in which way we can help them. There is very little evidence that the American aircraft industry is expanding on such a scale that it is prepared to take more of these men.

Mr. Goodhart

In view of the highly unsatisfactory nature of the replies, I give notice that I will seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible moment.