§ Mr. McLeavyasked the Minister of Supply and of Aircraft Production if he will state the number of Royal Ordnance Factories situated in the county districts of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire; the number of employees during the peak war period; from what radius they were drawn and their mode of travel; how many of such factories are to be turned over to peacetime production; and what is the estimated number of persons likely to be employed.
§ Mr. LeonardThe following statement shows the Royal Ordnance Factories situated in the county districts of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire, and the details concerning the peak number of employees during the war period:
way Green and Chorley. The R.O.F. Wigan is being retained for the time being. After satisfying the need for war potential, the peacetime Royal Ordnance
161WFactories will be used for the production of essential civil requirements.
The following Royal Ordnance Factories have been allocated by the Board of Trade to private firms for industrial purposes: R.O.F. Hooton to Williams and Williams, Limited, on 21st April, 1945; R.O.F. Radcliffe to Mather and Platt, Limited, on 5th November, 1945; R.O.F. Ellesmere Port to the Wolverhampton Corrugated Iron Company, Limited, on 30th November, 1945. The R.O.Fs. Steeton, Risley and Thorp Arch have been allocated for storage purposes, and the R.O.F. Kirkby has been allocated by the Board of Trade to the Liverpool Corporation for operation as a Trading Estate.
So far as the permanent Royal Ordnance Factories are concerned, further reductions have still to be made on production for the Services, and the level of other production is not yet settled. The Royal Ordnance Factories are not yet in a position to stabilise their labour force.