§ Dr. Norman A Godman (Greenock and Port Glasgow)I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 10, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,
the announcement reported on Friday of the Cundard shipping company to award a contract for the re-engining and renovation of the QE2 to the West German shipyard Lloyd-Werft.In view of the imminent Prorogation of the House, time should be found to debate this specific and important matter before Wednesday. The matter is specific in that the order, worth £80 million, will do further injury to the United Kingdom shipbuilding and marine engineering industry. That industry has experienced remorseless decline, which is intensified by the decisions of British shipping companies and other domestic maritime agencies to place orders with foreign yards.During the 20 years since the QE2 was launched on the Clyde, we have lost more than 80,000 jobs in our shipbuilding and engineering industries. If the decline continues, we shall lose the merchant shipbuilding sector of the industry and the last remnant of the marine engineering industry.
The matter is urgent because we need to examine closely the reasons for the reluctance, or failure, of companies such as Cunard to place orders with United Kingdom yards.
Finally, the nine new engines which the QE2 is to have could be constructed in United Kingdom marine engineering plants, in Belfast, my constituency or on the Tyne. Indeed, it is conceivable that the whole operation could have been carried out on the lower reaches of the Clyde. Cunard did not ask a single United Kingdom marine engine builder to bid for the manufacture of the nine engines. That part of the order is worth £60 million.
The issue causes deep anxiety to the shipbuilding industries of Belfast, the Tyne, the Mersey and the Clyde. I hope that you, Mr. Speaker, will give sympathetic consideration to my request.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow, (Dr. Godman) asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 10, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter which he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely,
the announcement reported on Friday of the Cunard shipping company to award a contract for the re-engining and renovation of the QE2 to the West German shipyard Lloyd-Werft.I fully understand the importance of the matter to the hon. Gentleman and his constituents. I listened carefully to what he said, but I do not consider that the matter is appropriate for discussion under Standing Order No. 10 and, therefore, I cannot submit his application to the House