§ Mr. Clinton Davis asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the conference which took place at Windsor on 22 and 23 October between the shipping trade unions, the General Council of British Shipping and himself, outlining the topics which were discussed and his reaction thereto; and whether he proposes to take any action arising therefrom to assist the shipping industry to recover from its present condition.
416W§ Mr. Sproat:I am very grateful to the representatives of the maritime unions and the General Council of British Shipping who joined me in Windsor on 22 and 23 October for a seminar on some of the problems facing the shipping industry. The principal topics discussed were the factors affecting the international competitiveness of the United Kingdom fleet; why it is in the interests of the United Kingdom fleet and the jobs which depend on it to work to preserve open markets for shipping; and the potential damage to the United Kingdom fleet from the UNCTAD proposals on open registries. The pursuit of competitiveness is for all those who work in the industry. On my part, I shall take account of all the advice I received in continuing to work for the market environment most helpful to trading and job opportunities for our fleet.