HC Deb 12 March 1940 vol 358 cc1021-3W
Mr. E. Smith

asked the Minister of Supply whether he will make an up-to-date general statement on the work of the Area Boards, Area Advisory Committees and area officers?

Mr. Burgin

In answer to a Question by the hon. and gallant Member for Preston (Captain Cobb) on 25th January, I gave a general statement of the duties of the Area Boards and Area Advisory Committees which form the area organisation. I also described the progress which had been made in setting up the Area Advisory Committees in answer to a Question by the Noble Lady the Member for the Sutton Division of Plymouth (Viscountess Astor) on 29th February. A great deal of the work has now been done and I anticipate that the full area organisation will be functioning shortly. The Area Boards in the Midland, South-Western, Southern, East and West Riding, North-Western, Eastern and Northern Areas are complete and I hope it will be only a matter of days before the remaining five boards are also ready. I am anxious that the Area Advisory Committees shall start on their work as soon as possible and arrangements have been made for the committee in an area to be inaugurated immediately the secretary to the Area Board has taken up duty. So far the Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Lincoln, Manchester, Bristol and Leicester Committees have already met. The Sheffield, Newcastle and Glasgow Committees should be meeting within the next few days. I expect that the committee at Belfast will be starting work very shortly and this will complete the first list of 11 committees, the setting up of which was regarded as a matter of urgency. The Engineering Employers' Federation and the Trades Union Congress General Council are now preparing their nominations for the remaining 12 committees and I hope that it will be possible for these to start work within the next few weeks.

The committees have been supplied with details of various stores for which additional manufacturing capacity is needed and which it is thought the smaller firms could make. It is the intention that the committees shall make recommendations to the Area Boards regarding firms which they think could undertake this work and I hope that in this way it will be possible to give more work to smaller industrial establishments. Arrangements have also been made to refer offers of capacity from engineering firms to the committees, in order that we may have the benefit of their views as to the kind of work these firms may be able to undertake. As soon as the area organisation is complete I hope that all offers from engineering firms will be received through that channel. In this connection I should like to reiterate what I have said before, that it is open to any manufacturer, group of manufacturers or any joint body, federation or chamber, provided that such a body is itself strictly a non-profit organ- isation, to approach the secretary of the Area Board with any proposal. I should add that the Federation of British Industries and the Association of British Chambers of Commerce have been asked to arrange for their local officers to assist the Ministry by rendering such practical help as they can give in an advisory capacity to the secretaries of the Area Boards.

The area officers are the local representatives of their respective Departments on the Area Board and their primary duty is to do everything possible to assist in the creation and maintenance of production capacity by keeping in close touch with their colleagues of the other Supply Departments and the Area Advisory Committees. The area officers of the Admiralty and the Air Ministry, who are now being appointed, have no direct technical functions but the Ministry of Supply area officers, who have been appointed for some time, are directly responsible for progressing the Department's munition contracts in their areas. The progressing of Admiralty and Air Ministry contracts is carried out by technical staffs, already in existence, who will have contact with the Area Boards through their own area officers. It is probable that an officer representing export trade interests will also be attached to each Area Board.