§ Mr. Gouldasked the Prime Minister whether United Kingdom capacity for making trucks of over 3.5 tonnes gross weight is sufficient to meet the needs of the armed services in a full-scale conventional war; and if she will publish in the Official Report a table showing United Kingdom output of such trucks each year since 1978 and particulars of truck-making plants which have been closed down over this period.
§ The Prime MinisterThere is more than enough United Kingdom truck-making capacity which could be readily adapted to the manufacture of military trucks, which are today based primarily on the designs of the commercial truck manufacturing industry.
Since 1978, three truck-making plants have been wholly closed: Seddon Atkinson's factory at Walton-Le-Dale (1981), and two Leyland vehicles plants: Guy Motors at Wolverhampton (1982) and AEC at Southall (1979). There has in addition been considerable restructuring and facility rationalisation throughout the industry.
United Kingdom output of trucks over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight, including motive units, is shown in the table following:
Units 1978 115,254 1979 117,336 1980 104,047 1981 58,224 1982 65,471 1983 52,918