§ 10. Mr. Willeyasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the total amount of orders, less the amount of cancellations of orders booked in previous years, booked by British shipyards in the third quarter of 1954, and the corresponding figures for 1953.
§ Mr. DigbyIn the third quarter of 1954, licences to build 42 ships totalling 51,573 gross tons were issued and licences for three ships of 52,400 gross tons were cancelled. The comparable figures for the third quarter of 1953 were, licences issued—32 ships of 62,617 gross tons; licences cancelled—four ships of 25,230 gross tons.
§ 11. Mr. Willeyasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the total amount of orders, less the amount of cancellation of orders booked in earlier years, booked by North-East shipyards in the third quarter of 1954, and the corresponding figure for 1953.
263W
§ Mr. DigbyIn the third quarter of 1954, licences were issued for the construction in North-East coast shipyards of two ships totalling 10,700 gross tons. This compares with licences for eight ships of 18,180 gross tons issued in the same quarter of 1953. No licences were cancelled in either of these periods.
§ 12. Mr. Willeyasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of ships, and their tonnage, upon which work has been suspended.
§ Mr. DigbySo far as I am aware, work has not been suspended on any merchant ships under construction in British shipyards.
§ 15. Mr. Osborneasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that in the last three months British shipyards had more cancellations than new orders and that there is danger of unemployment developing in the shipbuilding and ship repairing industries; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DigbyYes. On 30th September the British shipbuilding industry's order book consisted of 647 merchant ships of 4.4 million gross tons, representing upwards of two years' work even if no account is taken of future orders. I cannot, therefore, agree that there is any immediate danger of unemployment developing in the industry.