HC Deb 13 November 1978 vol 958 cc2-4
3. Mr. Tim Renton

asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he next expects to meet the chairman of British Shipbuilders.

The Minister of State, Department of Industry (Mr. Gerald Kaufman)

My right hon. Friend meets the chairman regularly.

Mr. Renton

May I offer my sympathy to the Minister of State for continuing his unerring knack of backing loss-making industries with large sums of tax-payer's money? Will he assure the House that he and the Secretary of State are now taking a realistic view of the shipbuilding industry against a background of reported Japanese plans to cut production by 35 per cent. and Norway's plans to cut it by 48 per cent.? What cut-backs will be needed in British shipbuilding output and manpower if losses of British Steel dimensions are to be avoided in future years?

Mr. Kaufman

I know the hon. Gentleman's determination to damage the British shipbuilding industry. The Government will do everything possible to save as many jobs as possible in the British shipbuilding industry, recognising that contraction is a worldwide problem.

Mr. Heller

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the general direction in which British Shipbuilders is going, but, in view of the decision of the Labour Party conference that Western Ship repairers Ltd. should be taken over as part of a nationalised industry, will he say what steps he and our right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry are taking to save jobs at Western Ship repairers Ltd. by absorbing it into British Shipbuilders or, if that is not possible, to take it over and create a nationalised ship repairing industry?

Mr. Kaufman

Immediately upon the passage of the conference resolution by the Labour Party I contacted British Shipbuilders, drawing its attention to the terms of the resolution and asking it—[Interruption.]Conservative Members may laugh about the loss of jobs on Merseyside. There would be many more losses if they had their way. As I was saying, I contacted British Shipbuilders, asking it to consider the matter constructively, and it is doing so. In addition, last week I met a delegation of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions, together with workers' representatives from Western Ship repairers Ltd., who handed me a plan for diversification at Western. I met the chief executive of British Shipbuilders last week, handed him that plan and asked him to consider it constructively.

Mr. Norman Lamont

Can we be assured that the full details of the corporate plan, including the manpower cuts, will be laid before Parliament, par- ticularly since the press seems to have been given details of it? Can we be assured that the Minister of State will not simply pursue his policy of "vote now, get the sack later"?

Mr. Kaufman

The Government's record in saving jobs in the British shipbuilding industry is unrivalled by any other shipbuilding industry in the world, and we are proud of it. We shall consider the corporate plan when we receive it. We shall have to see what commercially confidential matter it contains in relation to what is a serious world competitive situation.