§ Group-Captain Wilcockasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation whether he is satisfied that adequate orders have been placed with the aircraft industry for new type civil aircraft to ensure the industry continuing in full production.
§ Mr. WilmotI have been asked to reply. Orders have been placed by my Department for substantial numbers of the larger types of civil transport aircraft. Aircraft firms have also been asked to submit projects for the production of civil aircraft for private sale in the home and export markets, and encouragement and assistance is being given to a number of such projects. The demands for civil aircraft cannot be expected to absorb more than a part of the capacity set free by the large reductions in our military aircraft programme, but the substantial orders which have already been placed should serve to ease the transition of the industry to a peace-time level of production.