asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the tonnage of vessels ordered from Wear shipbuilders and the tonnage of orders with such shipbuilders cancelled this year.

New licences issued to Wear shipbuilders during the first nine months of 1958 totalled 117,000 gross tons. Licences totalling 35,000 gross tons were cancelled during the same period.

Is the Civil Lord aware that these figures are very disturbing, especially in view of the high output obtained by the Wear yards this year? Would he consider following his visit to the Clyde by coming to see us on the Wear?

I certainly intend paying another visit to the East Coast, but I do not think that the hon. Gentleman should be quite so gloomy, because the cancellations on the Wear are, in fact, at a slightly lower percentage than the average throughout the United Kingdom as a whole.