§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the amount of Government financial assistance, under all headings, paid in each of the last seven years to each of the shipbuilding, ship repairing and marine engineering establishments in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. MeacherIt is not possible to provide full information. The industries in question are eligible for the normal range of aids which is, or has been, available to industry generally, including investment grants, regional employment premiums and grants available under the Industry Act and Local Employment Acts.
However, it is possible to provide details of the assistance given to the larger shipbuilding companies under schemes or arrangements that are specific to shipbuilding and this information is given in the tables below. The tables include, under "others", grants to independent engine builders totalling £0.28 million. The only form of aid specific to shipbuilding which is not covered by the tables is shipbuilders' relief—a rebate of taxes currently 2 per cent. of the cost of a ship. There has been no specific aid to the shiprepairing industry in the period in question.
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LOANS £ million Company 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 (to 30th September) Total Harland & Wolff Ltd. — 3.500 — 5.000 3.000 — — — 5.000 6.000 22.500 Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd. and Fairfields (including assistance to Liquidator of UCS) 1.000 (0.060) 3.500 0.935 7.000 — — 2.700 — — 15.075 Govan Shipbuilders Ltd. — — — — — — — 3.000 5.500 4.250 12.750 Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd. — — — — — — — 1.204 5.096 0.832 7.132 Marathon Shipbuilding (UK.) Ltd — — — — — — — — — — — Swan Hunter Group — — — — — — — — — — — Scott Lithgow Group — — — — — 2.128 1.671 — — — 3.799 Austin & Pickersgill Ltd. — — — — — — — — — — — Sunderland Shipbuilders Ltd. (formerly Doxfords) — — — — — — — — — — — Others — — — — 0.620 6.510 1.393 — — — 8.523 Total 1.000 3.440 3.500 5.935 10.620 8.638 3.064 6.904 15.596 11.082 69.779 544W 545W
GRANTS Harland & Wolff Ltd. — — — 0.186 1.662 4.915 2.275 13.803 3.724 1.144 27.709 Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd. and Fairfields (including assistance to Liquidator of UCS) — — 0.021 2.440 3.566 0.265 7.435 — — — 13.727 Govan Shipbuilders Ltd. — — — — — — — — 1.571 2.804 4.375 Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd. — — — — — — — 0.842 1.190 0.247 2.279 Marathon Shipbuilding (UK) Ltd. — — — — — — — — 0.139 0.106 0.245 Swan Hunter Group — — 0.018 2.865 1.223 0.552 1.176 1.988 5.747 1.401 14.970 Scott Lithgow Group — — 0.009 — — 0.758 0.678 2.248 1.593 0.560 5.846 Austin & Pickersgill Ltd. — — — — — — — 1.116 1.346 0.278 2.740 Sunderland Shipbuilders Ltd. (formerly Doxfords) — — 0.013 — — — — 0.961 1.252 0.123 2.349 Others — — 0.089 0.132 0.080 0.325 0.513 3.166 5.570 1.380 11.255 Total — — 0.150 5.623 6.531 6.815 12.077 24.124 22.132 8.043 85.495
SHARES £ million Company 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 (to 30th September) Total Harland & Wolff Ltd — — — — — — 4.000 — — — 4.000 Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd. and Fairfields 0.500 0.030 — — 3.000 — — — — — 3.530 Govan Shipbuilders Ltd. — — — — — — — 5.000 — — 5.000 Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd. — — — — — 1.500 — — — — 1.500 Total 0.500 0.030 — — 3.000 1.500 4.000 5.000 — — 14.030 Note: Government shareholdings in Harland & Wolff, Upper Clyde Shipbuilders and Cammel Laird were purchased on 8th July 1971, 28th August 1969 and 4th June 1970 respectively. Govan Shipbuilders has been wholly owned by the Government since its formation on 1st July 1972.
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