HL Deb 15 March 1977 vol 380 cc1450-2

2.51 p.m.

Baroness VICKERS

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper. May I point out that in the last sentence there is a printing error about which I have already contacted the noble Lord, Lord Winterbottom. The word "slipping" should read "shipbuilding".

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action is being taken to ensure that there are sufficient trained personnel to carry out any merchant shipbuilding contract efficiently, in view of the offer of £65 million to the merchant shipping industry.

Lord WINTERBOTTOM

My Lords, before answering the Question may I thank the noble Baroness for drawing the misprint to our attention. The purpose of the Intervention Fund of £65 million announced on 24th February is to assist shipbuilding yards in Britain to obtain orders and thus utilise existing resources of trained labour that would otherwise be under-employed.

Baroness VICKERS

My Lords, in view of the fact that completion of HMS "Cardiff" is four years overdue, and the reason given is that there is not enough skilled labour in an area of very high unemployment, may I ask the noble Lord what action can be taken in future to train more personnel and also to ensure that contracts are finished on time? As I understand it, the noble Lord is not even able to tell us what is the extra cost of the four years in regard to HMS "Cardiff".

Lord WINTERBOTTOM

My Lords, that is another question. Nevertheless, the noble Baroness has raised a point of great importance. Half the problem is that although labour is available it is not sufficiently skilled, and the ship in question requires highly skilled labour.

Baroness VICKERS

My Lords, may I then ask the noble Lord what the Government are doing to get further skilled labour? Surely the Government should set up a training scheme to train skilled labour. I would inform the noble Lord that even the Royal Dockyards are short of such labour. They are now employing women as apprentices, and they have proved very satisfactory. In fact, women now go to sea with the ships on sea trials.

Lord WINTERBOTTOM

My Lords, if the noble Baroness will put down an Unstarred Question on the subject of the training of skilled labour for shipbuilding and ship repairing I will do my best to answer it. However, I thought that the Question asked by the noble Baroness was a commercial one: what the Government could do to assist shipyards to obtain orders? The carrying out of orders is a different matter.

Lord LEE of NEWTON

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that even in the worst days of heavy unemployment in some of the development areas in the North of Great Britain there has always been a chronic shortage of skilled labour for shipbuilding? Will my noble friend therefore try to inaugurate a far more comprehensive training scheme for this industry than we have ever seen before?

Lord WINTERBOTTOM

My Lords, I will bring the point made by my noble friend, which I am certain is a valid one, to the attention of the Secretary of State.