§ Mr. Ellis Smithasked the Minister of Supply if he will make a statement on the future of the Royal Ordnance factories throughout the country.
§ Mr. Aubrey JonesThe number of the Royal Ordnance Factories and their strengths must be related to the requirements of the Services and such military work as can be undertaken for other friendly Governments. Pending the reshaping of the defence forces which is now taking place I cannot say what capacity in the way of Royal Ordnance factories will eventually be needed. though clearly some contraction is inevitable.
The Royal Ordnance Factories none the less will remain a vital part of our defence and it will be my aim to preserve them as a live organisation of high quality. To this end I shall regard the factories as a preferred source for the production of the sorts of munitions they are equipped to produce. Sometimes, however, the urgency or size of an order may make it necessary for me to employ other suppliers as well and there may be cases in which it would be only prudent to preserve or create an alternative source of supply.
92WIt will also be my aim to bring increasingly to the Royal Ordnance Factories appropriate work on the newer types of weapons. But I must make it clear that the extent to which this will be feasible may well be limited and that the newer work is unlikely to lead to the large scale production for war purposes for which the Ordnance Factories were designed or to require the employment of large numbers of people.
Finally, it will be my aim to ensure that the retained factories are equipped for efficient production and kept in an efficient state. To this end the factories will, when military demands temporarily fall off and when their capacity can usefully supplement private capacity, undertake suitable civil work.