§ Commander WEDGWOODasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller, with reference to the construction of merchant ships, whether the announcement of the nationalisation of shipping has stopped the placing of orders for new vessels by the shipowning companies; and, if so, how many vessels has the Shipping Controller ordered to make good this particular loss?
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§ Sir LEO CHIOZZA MONEYSo far as available information shows, the statements that have been made with regard to the nationalisation of shipping do not appear to have led to any reluctance on the part of shipowners to place orders for the building of ships, but in any case my right hon. Friend the Shipping Controller is seeing to it that no suitable berth in any British shipyard not required for Admiralty work is left unutilised for merchant shipping. As I have already explained, it is not possible for me to state precisely what orders have been given for standardised cargo vessels, but the programme actually being carried out is a large one.