§ 68. Mr. Albuasked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the announcement that a nuclear-powered merchant ship is to be built in Germany and of the effect of this competition on British shipping, he will reconsider his decision not to start the construction of one in this country.
§ Mr. MarplesI have seen the reports about the building of a nuclear-powered merchant ship in Germany. I understand, however, that the Germans have not yet decided what type of reactor to install in the ship.
Our own policy is to concentrate on research to find a reactor system which is economically attractive to a wide range of shipping. Although the research programme is going well, the stage has not yet been reached of deciding whether to have a prototype nuclear ship built.