§ 100. Mr. Willeyasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what have been the number of orders placed with British shipbuilders and the amount of tonnage ordered during this year, as compared with the number and amount for the corresponding period last year.
§ Mr. T. G. D. GalbraithNinety new orders, totalling approximately 360,000 gross tons, as compared with 204 new orders, totalling approximately 1,665,000 gross tons, during the first nine months of 1957.
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§ 101. Mr. Willeyasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what is the tonnage of orders placed so far this year with north-east coast shipyards; and the tonnage of orders with such shipyards which have been cancelled during the same period.
§ Mr. T. G. D. GalbraithApproximately 150,000 gross tons of new orders. During the same period licences totalling approximately 175,000 gross tons have been cancelled.
§ Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware of the slump in British shipbuilding; if he will state the causes of this; and also what steps he is taking in Scotland and England, respectively, to remedy this state of affairs.
§ Mr. T. G. D. GalbraithThere has been a considerable decline in orders received by British shipyards this year, and some orders have been cancelled. However, in terms of launchings the industry has produced more gross tonnage this year than last, and still has an order book of nearly 5¾ million gross tons, although the situation is becoming serious in those yards which have no appreciable backlog of orders.
The decline in new orders is accounted for by the current recession in world trade generally, depressed freight rates, and the consequential laying up of merchant tonnage, and applies to a varying extent to all major shipbuilding countries. We must look to an improvement in world trade to bring about a recovery in ordering. Meanwhile every effort is being made to increase the competitive power of the industry including more modernisation and re-equipment of the shipyards.
§ Mr. P. Williamsasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many new orders for ships have been placed with British yards in the first nine months of 1958; how many have been placed in the north-east; and how many cancellations there are in these two groups.
§ Mr. T. G. D. GalbraithNinety new orders totalling approximately 360,000 gross tons, of which 15 new orders totally approximately 150,000 gross tons were received by north-east coast yards. In the same period, 25 licences totalling approximately 260,000 gross tons were 81W cancelled of which 17, totalling approximately 175,000 gross tons were from north-east coast yards.