§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Industry on what assumptions as to (a) the tonnage of orders to be obtained and (b) the percentage to which its capacity was to be used British Shipbuilders has forecasted its losses.
§ Mr. KaufmanDue regard was paid by the corporation to the question of capacity utilisation but its estimates on this have to be regarded as a commercially confidential matter. In preparing its estimate of loss in the current year, the corporation made no assumption about the total tonnage of orders to be secured this year, since it is likely that construction would not start until next year or later for most of the orders secured.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether the losses forecast by British Shipbuilders were based on an increase or decrease in productivity; and to what extent productivity has increased or decreased since the industry was nationalised.
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§ Mr. KaufmanThe corporation has introduced a number of measures already to improve productivity and performance as part of a continuing programme in this area but it is too early to estimate the results. No specific assumption about productivity was made.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Industry of the estimated losses reported to him by British Shipbuilders, how much related to its shiprepairing activities or shiprepairing subsidiaries.
§ Mr. KaufmanThe forecasts of the shiprepairing subsidiaries are a commercially confidential matter.
§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total number of people employed at each shipyard of British Shipbuilders; how this compares with 12 months previously; and how many are employed at each administrative establishment.
§ Mr. KaufmanThis information is a matter for British Shipbuilders.