§ 15. Mr. Ridleyasked the Minister of Technology why he turned down the application for a grant towards the development of a spray steel making plant at Millom in Cumberland.
§ Dr. BrayAdequate arrangements were in hand for the development of spray steel making in existing steel works. The Millom proposal would have required a large capital expenditure for the construction of a steel works at Millom at a time when there was already surplus steel making capacity in the country.
The small scale of the plant, remote from other process development work and from markets and sources of some raw materials, would have placed the project at a disadvantage compared with large steel producers and development elsewhere. No proposals were received from any other steel manufacturer or any steel plant manufacturer in support of development at Millom.
§ 16. Mr. Ridleyasked the Minister of Technology why it took 18 months for a decision to be made on whether or not to pay a grant towards the development of spray steel making at Millom in Cumberland.
§ Dr. BrayThe full and sympathetic consideration that we gave to all aspects of this application, including the implications of employment at Millom, necessarily took some time.