§ Mrs. Bainasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the announcement by British Shipbuilders that it is its intention to close yards in Teesside and Falmouth.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldThere has been no announcement by British Shipbuilders about closure at either Teesside or Falmouth.
§ Mrs. Bainasked the Secretary of State for Industry how many jobs have been lost in shipyards, region to region, since the setting up of British Shipbuilders Ltd.; and how current employment figures compare with those of 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1975.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldI understand that 3,231 employees of British Shipbuilders who were engaged in shipbuilding, ship-repair and marine engineering have been made redundant since vesting day. The regional breakdown of this figure is as follows:
Scotland … 541 Northern England … 1,819 North Western England … 469 Yorkshire and Humberside … 23 East Anglia … 19 South Eastern England … 274 South Western England … 86 Employment figures for those companies which now comprise British Shipbuilders are not vailable for years earlier than 1976. In that year average employment, excluding non-marine activities was 79,477; in 1977 it was 78,145 and in November 1978, 77,100.