§ THE EARL OF LUCANMy Lords, on behalf of my noble Leader, Lord Alexander of Hillsborough, who I regret is unable to be here to-day, I beg to ask the first Question which stands in his name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) how many ships and smaller craft are at present under repair in private shipyards, and what is the estimated cost of these repairs (b) how many times in the year 1957, and in respect of how many contracts, has delay been sanctioned on Admiralty work in private shipyards because of the pressure of work on merchant ships.]
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD MANCROFT)My Lords, there are at present two of Her Majesty's ships—that is, one destroyer and one submarine—nine Royal Fleet Auxiliaries 2 and twenty-eight smaller vessels in hand for refit, conversion or modernisation in private shipyards, at a total cost of just over £3 million. With regard to the second part of the Question, Admiralty work in private shipyards is, of course, sometimes affected by the needs of merchant ships, but only in one case during 1957 did the Admiralty specifically agree to such delay.
§ THE EARL OF LUCANMy Lords, if there are cases where the pressure of private work in private shipyards causes delay, would it not be advisable for Her Majesty's Government to retain the use of the Royal Dockyards?
§ LORD MANCROFTMy Lords, this is a difficult question. Refit by contract to-day is very exceptional. In the 1955–56 Estimates provision for contract refits was £11 million; in the 1958–59 Estimates it is only £1.8 million.