§ Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Transport, what progress has been made with Her Majesty's Government's plan to form a consortium of shipowners to arrange for the ownership and operation of the first British nuclear-powered ship; whether that consortium has yet been formed; who are its members; and what is its programme of work.
§ Mr. MarplesAs I explained to the House on 8th November, the Government have decided that building a nuclear ship at the present time would not be justified, and have authorised a vigorous programme of research instead.
In these circumstances, no useful purpose would be served by forming at this stage a consortium of shipowners.