§ 20. Mr. Alan Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the quality of the work and the maintenance of refitting schedules at Her Majesty's dockyard, Devonport.
§ Mr. SpeedI am satisfied that the work undertaken in Her Majesty's dockyard, Devonport, is of the high quality required for the refitting and repair of the complex Royal Naval ships and submarines. The refitting schedules there and at the other Royal dockyards in the United Kingdom have been adversely affected by periods of industrial unrest in the past 18 months, shortages of skilled labour and the uncertain supply of equipment from industry, but I hope that with the recent settlement of the industrial pay claim problems affecting the dockyards will now be eased.