§ 17. Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Minister of Power whether he will give a direction on vesting day to the National Steel Corporation to supply the home shipbuilding and ship-repairing industry with plates and sections at a specially reduced price, as recommended in the Geddes Report.
§ Mr. FreesonNo, Sir.
§ Mr. DigbyIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the Government have accepted the recommendations of the Geddes Committee, that they have introduced a Bill, and that one of the fundamental recommendations is that this 1263 practice should be restored? How can the hon. Gentleman justify such a ridiculous answer?
§ Mr. FreesonThe decision in this respect was taken by the previous Administration, not by this one. What we can say is that steel nationalisation, with the reorganisation of the shipbuilding industry, will provide improved opportunities for reducing the cost of shipbuilding steel.