§ Lieut.-Colonel Grosvenorasked the Minister of Aviation whether he can now make a statement about sub-contracting by Shorts on the VC10 order for the Royal Air Force.
Years beginning 1st June £ million — 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 (forecast) Labour 300.5 299.5 298 301 Rent and Interest 93.5 105.5 116 121 Machinery 221 215.5 228 229 Feedingstuffs 355 356 382.5 406 Fertilisers 118 111 120.5 123 Other 168 178.5 194.5 204.5 Note:
These figures relate to agricultural holdings over one acre treated as one large "national" farm. The number of workers to whom the estimates of expenditure on labour relate declined from 719,000 in June, 1959, to 633,000 in June, 1962.
84W
§ Mr. AmeryA programme of subcontracting to Shorts on the VC10 aircraft for the R.A.F. has now been agreed. Shorts have been authorised to begin work on the manufacture of jigs and tools.
The programme allocates work to Shorts on the building and equipping of the front and rear parts of the fuselage of the aircraft. This will provide work for a substantial number of Shorts' staff for two or three years.
Dividing the work on the VC10 between Weybridge and Belfast in this way necessarily involves extra cost mainly on duplication of tools. This extra cost is estimated at some £2.8 million of a total programme costing more than £30 million. This will be carried on Air Vote 7 as part of the production cost of the aircraft. The Government have authorised this additional expenditure in order to help provide employment in Northern Ireland.