§ Mr. David Howellasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the Royal Naval dockyards, showing the items made, the numbers of men employed and the total value of output in each during the most recent year for which figures are available, and the total investment made in the dockyards since 1945 and their estimated asset valuation.
§ Dr. David OwenThe number of men employed in and the value of work undertaken by the General Managers' Department of H.M. Dockyards during the financial year 1967–68 were as follows:—
H.M. Dockyard Average number of personnel employed Total value of work done (excluding sub-contract equipment) £ Portsmouth … … 11,100 20,878,629 Devonport … … 13,400 24,165,274 Chatham … … 7,550 13,871,201 Rosyth … … 5,200 8,821,748 Gibraltar … … 1,875 2,180,414 Singapore … … 5,375 5,692,260 The figures quoted include productive work, particularly on the refit, conversion, 126W modernisation and repair of ships and craft: the building of new vessels: the maintenance and repair of the yard machinery and plant: and items made to facilitate the above and other naval requirements.
Expenditure on machinery and plant in the financial years 1947–48 (the first post-war year in which detailed accounting was resumed) to 1967–68 totalled approximately £60 million.
Expenditure on the new buildings and works structures is the responsibility of the Minister of Public Building and Works. In the financial years 1965–66 and 1967–68 their expenditure in this respect totalled £4.6 million. Figures for similar expenditure in earlier years are not readily available.
The depreciated book value of fixed assets on 31st March, 1968, was:
£ million Land … 5 Buildings … 17.24 Plant and machinery … 30.05 Total … 52.29