§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will list in the Official Report the ship repair companies operating on Merseyside to the most recent convenient date; and how these figures compare with 1962;
(2) if he will make a statement on the decline of the ship repair industry on Merseyside;
(3) if he has received the representations from the Confederation of Ship building and Engineering Unions with reference to unemployment in the ship repair industry on Merseyside; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantEmployment in ship repair on Merseyside has declined from just over 8,000 in 1962 to a current figure of about 4,700, although these figures may not be exactly comparable. The trend shown probably results from a number of factors both technical and commercial, and may have been accentuated by the transfer elsewhere of some shipping services. I have not received any representations from the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions about the ship repair industry on Merseyside. A complete list of the names of the companies is not available.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list in the Official Report those countries in the European Economic Community which give Government subsidies to the shipbuilding industry.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantAll countries of the European Economic Community that engage in shipbuilding provide assistance to the industry, though there are wide differences in the level and form of Government support among the Member countries.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list in the Official Report those countries in the European Economic Community which give Government subsidies to the ship repair industry.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantAs far as we know, Italy is the only country in the 275W European Economic Community which gives direct subsidies to the ship repair industry.