§ 31. Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Minister of Transport how many ships have been sent abroad for repairs since 1st April; whether he will now make inquiries of the facilities at Newport for undertaking such works, as some yards are not fully employed at these docks and many men have been dismissed as redundant.
§ Mr. Barnes:I have not directed any ships under my control to be sent abroad for repairs since 1st April. I am assured by my right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Admiralty, who is responsible for control of ship repair facilities generally, that in allocating repair work the Admiralty considered fully the facilities at Newport in common with facilities elsewhere. Certain labour difficulties at Newport are at the moment tending to restrict the use of available capacity but it is hoped that these will be quickly overcome. Fourteen ships are under repair there at present and local unemployment among shipyard workers is slight.