§ 85. Mr. Blenkinsopasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether further steel supplies can be made available without delay to the shipbuilding industry in the North-East to enable fuller use to be made of the facilities available.
§ Mr. J. P. L. ThomasI would refer the hon. Member to the replies the Civil Lord gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Miss Ward) on 20th October and to the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Ewart) on 17th November.
§ 89. Mr. Willeyasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that it is now estimated that the 1952 output of the Wear shipyards will be 168,101 gross tons; that this will be the lowest output for 13 years; and what factors have caused this fall in output.
§ Mr. J. P. L. ThomasFigures at my disposal do not support the estimate of the 1952 output of the Wear shipyards quoted by the hon. Member, nor the contention that this output is the lowest for 13 years.
The last part of the Question does not therefore arise.