§ Mr. Fletcher-Cookeasked the Secretary of State for Defence what effect the cuts in expenditure will have upon the level of activity and the size of the work force at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Lower Darwen, Lancashire.
§ Mr. DuffyStudies are being undertaken to determine the precise items to to be affected by the £100 million reduction in defence expenditure in 1977–78 and these will be completed by the time the Defence Estimates for 1977–78 are finalised. Present indications are that it is unlikely that the level of activity and the size of the work force at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Lower Darwen, will be affected, given the growing workload of the Royal ordnance factories organisation for overseas customers and the expected increase in the total number employed by the organisation referred to in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1976 (Cmnd. 6432).