§ 9. Mr. AmosTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the cost to registered port employers of the 1988 levy to finance the cost of the National Dock Labour Board.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment (Mr. Patrick Nicholls)The 1988 levy to finance the National Dock Labour Board cost registered port employers £4,690,607.
§ Mr. AmosIn view of the very high cost to the nation of the national dock labour scheme, and as it is archaic, anti-democratic and anti-competitive, will my hon. Friend consider abolishing it as soon as possible?
§ Mr. NichollsMatters covered by the levy include issues relating, for instance, to training, welfare and medical services, which must be provided for. The Government's position on the scheme remains unchanged. There are no plans to change or abolish it.
§ Mr. Ernie RossWill the Minister confirm that before the introduction of the national dock labour scheme the men in the docks were treated like cattle, and that only since the introduction of the scheme have the ports enjoyed peace and working conditions fit for human beings?
§ Mr. NichollsIf one goes far enough back in history, one can always find something to justify one's views, but the position remains as I have set it out.
§ Mr. JanmanIs my hon. Friend aware that the Port of London Authority is interested in developing land immediately adjacent to the port of Tilbury but that it is experiencing extreme difficulty in finding people to take up this opportunity because of the existence of the dock labour scheme? Does my hon. Friend agree that the dock labour scheme costs not only money but jobs?
§ Mr. NichollsI hear what my hon. Friend says. Obviously, he makes his analysis in his own way, but I do not think that I can fruitfully comment on that analysis at the Dispatch Box.