§ 9. Mr. Dunlopasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees of Harland and Wolff have been made redundant in the past six months.
§ Mr. OrmeI understand that over the past six months 87 people, all staff employees, have been made redundant by Harland and Wolff. A further seven will be made redundant on 31st July next.
§ Mr. DunlopI thank the right hon. Gentleman for his reply. In view of the fact of a world slump in demand for super-tankers and a need for diversification in Harland and Wolff to take up the work force available there, can the Minister tell us why that company has confined itself to building only one oil rig, which is now operating successfully in the North Sea, when we know that about a dozen such rigs are being built in Scandinavian shipyards and that there is a demand for them?
§ Mr. OrmeWe might go more fully into this wider aspect when the order for bringing Harland and Wolff into full public ownership is put before the House—we hope, before the Summer Recess. In actual fact the redundancies to which I have referred are minimal at present because the company has a full order book until 1978. The test for the shipyard will be in finding fresh work on the terms which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has laid down.
§ Mr. DalyellIs there not a shorter answer—that the management of Harland and Wolff has not been as alert as it ought to have been to what is bappening in the North Sea?
§ Mr. OrmeTaking recent history into account, I believe that the words "has 760 not been as alert as it ought" are probably correct. We are trying to redress that situation. I hope that the proposals that the Government put before the House will ensure that past mistakes are not repeated.