§ 13. Mr. Carterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make an 652 official visit to the Longbridge works of British Leyland.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithMy right hon. Friend has no plans at present but I certainly hope that such a visit may be possible some time in the future.
§ Mr. CarterDoes the hon. Gentleman appreciate that that was a most disappointing reply, as 5,000 British Leyland car workers have been made redundant in the past few days? As that is the result of the Government's economic policy, will the hon. Gentleman urge his right hon. Friend to lift restrictions on the car industry in order to avoid further redundancies?
§ Mr. Dudley SmithI do not accept for a moment that it is the result of the Government's economic policy. A result of the Government's economic policy will be that many further jobs will be saved which would probably have been lost under the last Administration. These redundancies, regrettable as they are, have to be made, in the light of commercial considerations, by the companies concerned.
§ Mr. David MitchellIs my hon. Friend aware that since this great British motorcar combine was formed, it has had only three weeks without an industrial dispute in its organisation?
§ Mr. Dudley SmithYes, and we can all draw various conclusions from that fact.