§ 50. Sir C. Osborneasked the Minister of Public Building and Works what steps he is taking to end the acute shortage of copper tubes for building purposes in the Lincoln area, which is retarding the entire building works output, as indicated by the correspondence sent to him by the hon. Member for Louth; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. SharplesAlthough delivery periods at present being quoted for some copper products are longer than usual, I have no evidence that shortages are significantly holding up building work, either in Lincolnshire or elsewhere. From recent discussions with producers we know that their capacity is increasing and that further increases are planned. The producers consider that provided there is no over-ordering they should be able to cope with the demand, but we are continuing to watch the situation closely.