HC Deb 29 June 1966 vol 730 cc302-3W
154. Mr. Judd

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian employees have left Her Majesty's Dockyard, Portsmouth, during the past year for employment elsewhere; from which categories these employees have mainly come; and how their dockyard take-home pay compared with that of people doing similar work in civilian firms in the Portsmouth area.

Mr. J. P. W. Mallalieu

About, 1,000, including about 100 non-industrial, about 350 craftsmen and about 550 non-craft grades. We have no figures for average earnings within the Portsmouth area outside the dockyard.

Mr. Judd

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will conduct a survey to discover what equipment and manpower in Her Majesty's Dockyard, Portsmouth, could be suitably utilised for the production of capital equipment for export or for overseas aid projects; and what equipment and manpower could be utilised for projects in Great Britain such as industrialised building techniques.

Mr. J. P. W. Mallalieu

The machine tools and plant in Portsmouth Dockyard are designed primarily for ship repair work, and to undertake the sort of work suggested would call for extensive capital re-equipment. In view of the present and prospective work load of the Dockyard on naval account, this would not be justified.