§ 144. Mr. Lowasked the Minister of Defence whether he has approved the programme of the three Services for 316W additional equipment; and what steps he has taken to ensure that orders are placed with industry with no delay.
§ Mr. ShinwellApproval has been given to the programmes of the three Services in respect of the additional production of £100 million which I announced on 26th July. Orders to the amount of over £70 million have been placed or are under active negotiation with industry by the Admiralty and Ministry of Supply. As regards the longer term plan announced in August, it has been agreed that, as an interim measure, orders should be placed to the value of a further £100 million in order to ensure that there is adequate capacity for the production of the most important items of equipment.