§ 20. Mr. Dempseyasked the Minister of Power if he will give a direction to the National Steel Corporation to continue production at Gartsherrie Iron 1265 Works, Coatbridge, which is due to close down, as £1 million was spent in modernising the plant in 1960; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MarshDecisions of this type are the responsibility of the Corporation who are considering various proposals.
§ Mr. DempseyIs my right hon. Friend aware that shortly 640 men will lose their jobs at works which were modernised in 1960 at a cost of £7 million, not £1 million? Can he say whether this matter will be investigated in view of the fact that there was such a large expenditure with such limited results, and can he say whether there is any hope of the works being used for some other purpose?
§ Mr. MarshThe question of the works being used for some other purpose would not be a matter for me. The Steel Corporation must be in a position to judge commercially whether a particular works are to its advantage or not, but proposals have been made of varying types and some of these are being looked at, but this is not a decision for the Government.