Vote a. Number for Air Force Service

Part of Air Estimates, 1958–59 – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 10 March 1958.

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Photo of Captain Sir Peter Macdonald Captain Sir Peter Macdonald , Isle of Wight 12:00, 10 March 1958

I beg the hon. Gentleman's pardon. I agree that it was Friday. For half an hour the chairman of the panel discussed Labour Party policy with the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme and boasted that he ought to know what the Labour Party's official policy was, because, he said, "I helped to write it". Yet the chairman and his panel were unable to discover the policy of the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme and a considerable number of his followers.

If he was unable to do so, how does the Labour Party expect us or the country to understand official Labour Party policy, especially when the hon. Member for Dudley, who knows far more about this subject than most hon. Members on the Opposition side of the Committee, admits that he is confused and does not know the policy of his leaders? It would be as well if they would clarify the matter. I hope that the spokesman who winds up the debate for the Opposition will enlighten us upon his party's policy with regard to the deterrent.

I do not apologise for raising again the question of research in the aircraft industry, because it affects the future of the Royal Air Force. Is the R.A.F. to go out of the aircraft industry after the P.1 is built and flying and other bombers are ordered and built? What is to be the future of the Royal Air Force? What is the position of the aircraft industry if it should be required again to produce intercepter aircraft or bombers to defend the country? This is a very serious matter and very serious consideration should be given to it by Service Ministers. It causes very great alarm. The aircraft industry is a branch of engineering which has contributed more towards the development of engineering than any other industry in this country in the last 20 or 30 years.

If the aircraft industry is allowed to die, what will be the future for civilian aviation and for the R.A.F.? What will be the future of our export of aircraft and spare parts, which last year amounted to £115 million? These are questions which I hope the Minister is considering with his colleagues in the Government. I hope that serious thought is being devoted to them.

Reference has been made to the number of aircraft with which the Air Ministry has to deal in the transporting of personnel and the various jobs which Transport Command has always carried out. It is true that Transport Command has not many aircraft and that, in emergency, it relies very largely on civil aircraft to do the job for it. I do not think that is a satisfactory position. There are twenty Comets on order and there is no use denying that they have turned out to be first-class aircraft. They have flown hundreds of thousands of miles since they have been rebuilt. When Transport Command gets them, no doubt they will be of great value in trooping and other services.

I make no excuse for saying what I have said many times before. In my constituency there are three flying boats which have cost this country millions of pounds. They are excellent aircraft, which were ordered by B.O.A.C. for the Atlantic service, but the order was cancelled because New York harbour was closed to flying boats. Since then these aircraft have been lying idle in the Isle of Wight and on the mainland. I see no reason why these Princess flying boats—magnificent aircraft, as has been proved by the one which has flown—should not be provided with engines and used in Transport Command.

They are admirable aircraft for trooping purposes. They can carry over 200 troops with equipment and are designed 'to have a range of more than 5,000 miles, which no other aircraft has today apart from certain types of bombers in the American Air Force. They could be used on the South American trooping services. I ask the Minister to consider this matter. The aircraft have proved to be well-built and serviceable. All they require is engines. Now that the amount of orders has been cut down it should not be difficult to get these aircraft into the air and put them to useful service instead of allowing them to lie idle, as they have been doing for years.

I congratulate my right hon. Friend upon staying in his post for so long. He has had a longer life in it than most Ministers have in the Department and has done his job very well. I wish him well for the future and hope that he will stay there much longer.