HC Deb 10 May 1966 vol 728 cc200-1
22. Mr. Biffen

asked the Minister of Technology if he will make a statement on the export orders of the British machine tool industry.

Mr. Shore

After rising to a peak in the first half of 1965 export orders of the British machine tool industry have been declining. Orders on hand have remained virtually unchanged at between £29 and £30 million since the middle of 1964.

Mr. Biffen

Orders on hand remain the same and deliveries are still falling. Is the hon. Gentleman aware that export orders for machine tools in the second half of 1965 were not only lower than in 1964, but also lower than in 1963 and 1962? Does he not think that that is a situation of such seriousness that his right hon. Friend should come to the Box to say something about it when he returns to London?

Mr. Shore

I warned the hon. Member last time not to pay too much significance to one set of figures. As I said then, I am not entirely happy about this situation, but if the hon. Member had asked me in the first place how the machine tool industry was doing in the first half of the year I would have been able to say that it had shown the largest increase, in percentage terms, on orders of which we have a record, taking one year with another. I ask him to look at the overall picture rather than at periods of six months.

Mr. Orme

If the figures are as bad as the hon. Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) asserts and if the machine tool industry is failing the nation, would my hon. Friend and his right hon. Friend consider setting up a publicly-owned sector in the machine tool industry?

Mr. Shore

The burden of my reply to the hon. Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) was that the situation was not anything like as grievous as he seemed to think. Actual exports of machine tools from this country last year were 10 per cent. in value above those for the previous year, which is bang on target.

Mr. David Price

Does the Joint Parliamentary Secretary's right hon. Friend intend to take advantage of his visit to Russia to press the Russians to buy more machine tools from us under the Anglo-Soviet Trade Treaty?

Mr. Shore

Should this opportunity arise, no doubt my right hon. Friend will take it. I should not like to attach too much importance to the particular prospect of selling machine tools in the Soviet Union. Many other trade opportunities exist.