HC Deb 09 December 1960 vol 631 cc169-70W
Captain Kerby

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, what was the cost of refitting H.M.S. "Manxman" at Gibraltar during the period 1957–60; and what percentage of the labour force in the dockyard was engaged in work on or in connection with this ship.

Mr. C. Ian Orr-Ewing

H.M.S. "Manxman" was under refit at Gibraltar Dockyard from 27th February, 1958, to 15th January, 1960. The expenditure incurred was £270,000. Averaged over the period of the refit, about 20 per cent. of the Dockyard labour force was engaged in work on or in connection with the ship.

Captain Kerby

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty why the work, due to begin on H.M.S. "Manxman" in January, 1961, at Chatham, could not have been carried out at Gibraltar during the ship's extended refit there, which was only completed in April this year; and how much of the work carried out at Gibraltar will have been wasted, in view of the new plans for the future employment of this ship.

Mr. C. Ian Orr-Ewing

The greatly increased work converting and modernising H.M.S. "Manxman" would, in a relatively small Dockyard such as Gibraltar, have engaged such a high percentage of the labour force that it would have interfered unacceptably with the normal programme of work. The work completed at Gibraltar was almost all repairs, which, if they had not been remedied during the refit, would have had to be undertaken during the conversion.

Captain Kerby

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty how much he estimates will have been spent on H.M.S. "Manxman" during the period 1957–63; and if he is satisfied that, in view of this ship being 22 years old in 1963, the total cost of her six years of refits will be fully justified by the extension of her useful life.

Mr. C. Ian Orr-Ewing

Expenditure on H.M.S. "Manxman" in the period 1957–60 was £270,000 covering refitting work at Gibraltar. It is not the prac- tice to give an estimate of the expenditure which will be incurred on this ship over the next three years which will cover far more than a refit, but I am satisfied that the work involved in the conversion of H.M.S. "Manxman" to a modern ship in her new rôle as headquarters and forward support ship for minesweepers will be fully justified by the extension of her useful life.