§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the total increase in facilities installed at Rosyth and Devonport dockyards to meet the 250W extra work load resulting from the closure of Chatham and the rundown of Portsmouth; and how much these increased facilities will cost in each case.
§ Mr. PattieStudies are still in hand to establish in detail those facilities which require to be reprovided at Devonport and Rosyth. However, during the next four years it is anticipated that the total cost of these facilities will not exceed £2 million to £3 million.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of Stale for Defence what will be the annual saving resulting from the closure of Chatham dockyard and the rundown of Portsmouth.
§ Mr. PattieThe latest estimates of the annual savings resulting from the closure of Chatham dockyard and the rundown of Portsmouth are approximately £65 million in each case. These savings are at current prices and are expected to be achieved by 1984–85. They include wages, salaries, materials used and other maintenance and operating expenses, but do not take into account the realisation of redundant assets.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of Stale for Defence how many (a) industrial and (b) non-industrial workers will be transferred from Chatham or Portsmouth dockyards to Rosyth or Devonport dockyards; and at what cost.
§ Mr. PattieAlthough the total increase in numbers of the work force at Devonport and Rosyth has been assessed at about 2,000, it is not yet possible to say how many of the posts will be filled by transfers between dockyards.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence how it is proposed that the naval dockyards of Rosyth and Devonport will accommodate the ship refit load which will be transferred from Chatham and Portsmouth.
§ Mr. BlakerThe cancellation of the mid-life major refits of the surface fleet substantially reduces the overall refit load in the dockyards. This, together with the increases in the work force referred to in the Defence Review and the extended interval between refits of units of the SSN fleet, makes it possible to accommodate the total load in the dockyards at Devonport and Rosyth.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he is satisfied with the arrangements affecting workers at Rosyth dockyard who will be forced to take compulsory premature retirement.
§ Mr. PattieNo workers at Rosyth dockyard are being forced to take premature retirement. A number of non-industrial staff have been offered and have accepted early retirement on a voluntary basis. Some other non-industrial staff who are beyond the normal Civil Service retirement age of 60 are being retired.