§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Minister of Technology when he proposes to act on the recommendation of the Select Committee on Science and Technology that a departmental committee be convened to examine the possibilities of nuclear marine propulsion in the light of the experimental work being carried out in other industrial countries.
§ Mr. BennI will consider the Committee's recommendation that a departmental committee should be reconvened, but I would point out that the responsibility for the Atomic Energy Authority, for the nuclear industry, for the manufacture of marine engines and for shipbuilding have all been brought together in my Department. My Department is in touch with all the interests closely concerned and I intend to re-examine the position in order to ensure, so far as possible, that we are in a position to embark on a major project as soon as it appears that commercial demand for such ships justifies the considerable cost involved.