HC Deb 21 November 1977 vol 939 cc1085-6
16. Mr. Hal Miller

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he will order a review of the implementation of the Ryder plan for British Leyland and of the Government agreement with Chrysler.

The Under-Secretary of State for Industry (Mr. Les Huckfield)

British Leyland is preparing a corporate plan, on the basis of which the NEB will report to my right hon. Friend on future strategy for the company. The implementation of the agreement with Chrysler is kept under review by the monitoring arrangements my Department has with the company.

Mr. Miller

Does the Minister accept that there is widespread concern among the general public, which is contributing by taxation to these companies, and among all those who work there that the original plans have now been overtaken by events? May we have an assurance that these revisions and reviews will be put to the House for discussion as a basis for further voting of public funds?

Mr. Huckfield

I should have thought that the best thing to do would be to let the new chairman, who has been in the job for only three weeks, get on with the job. I assure the hon. Member, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has said, that the House will be kept informed of developments. I remind the hon. Gentleman that, as has been said before, the Ryder plan was a strategy; it was not a blueprint.

Mr. Norman Lamont

Following what the Minister has said about letting the new chairman of the company get on with the job, will the Minister assure the House that, whatever the TUC may decide about the 12-month rule on Wednesday, the Government will back the management in what it thinks is the appropriate reform of bargaining within the company?

Mr. Huckfield

I am sure the hon. Gentleman realises that the Government are still considering this matter and that obviously they will take into consideration what the TUC says.

Mr. Molloy

Will my hon. Friend tell the House what would have been the increase in unemployment in the motor car industry and in the motor car components industry if the measures which the Government have taken had not been taken? If, for example, we had accepted the policies of the Conservative Party and not implemented these proposals, is it not a fact that unemployment would have been considerably higher?

Mr. Huckfield

When the original rescue of the Leyland concern was proposed by the Government, it was noted that Leyland, indirectly and directly up and down the country, was probably responsible for about 1 million jobs. When Conservative Members criticise Leyland, I wish they would take that fact into account.

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