HC Deb 14 January 1971 vol 809 cc242-3
19. Mr. Judd

asked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will make a progress report on the establishment of a naval dockyard board with particular reference to the membership so far designated from outside industry.

Mr. Kirk

The establishment of a Royal Dockyard Policy Board has now been completed. It will consider and advise on management policies for achieving the best use of the finance, material and human resources available to the Royal Dockyards for the performance of their task". We have been fortunate in securing the agreement of Sir Henry Benson, G.B.E., F.C.A., of Cooper Brothers and Company, and Mr. Richard O'Brien of Delta Metal Company Limited, to serve as members of this Board. The remaining members will be senior naval and civilian officers serving in the Ministry of Defence. I will be taking the chair myself.

Mr. Judd

I thank the Minister for that reply. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that if the best is to be made of the new management structure and techniques in the dockyards, it is essential to have a higher representation of ideas and experience from outside industry?

Mr. Kirk

I do not think so. The two gentlemen whom I have named, and who served on the Mallabar Committee, are well aware of the problems of the Royal Dockyards. I think that they will both contribute enormously to making the management of the dockyards even more efficient.

Dr. David Owen

I welcome the decision to continue the previous Administration's decision to appoint a dockyard board and also the appointment of two gentlemen who have great experience of the Royal Dockyards. Will the hon. Gentleman still consider the possibility of hiving off the dockyards to give them a greater degree of independence from the central defence mechanism, and possibly consider going towards a single dockyard budget which can be presented to the House of Commons so that we can see the financial disciplines of the dockyards hived off from the central defence mechanism?

Mr. Kirk

The hon. Gentleman from his experience in my office, will know how difficult this problem is. The dockyards are so closely bound up with the Fleet that it is almost impossible to conceive a way of hiving them off. However, we have been looking into this matter.