§ Sir David Priceasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will encourage British Shipbuilders to develop an extensive and competitive ferry building capacity.
§ Mr. ButcherBritish Shipbuilders' product strategy is a matter for the management of the corporation.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry endorsed on 25 July the corporation's primary aims of concentrating its resources on a stable, cost-effective mainstream merchant shipbuilding business. We, of course, encourage the corporation to concentrate on areas in which it can be competitive.