Oral Answers to Questions — Shipbuilding – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 10 December 1958.
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what communications he has received stating that the lack of credit facilities is preventing orders being placed with British shipyards.
One, Sir.
Is the Civil Lord aware that I am very surprised? I have a copy of a communication made to him, and the Civil Lord has been kind enough to let me have a copy of his reply. We are very disturbed in Sunderland, where we appear to have lost two contracts solely through lack of credit facilities and are now facing another very important cancellation on the same ground. Will the Civil Lord bestir himself, and see the Admiralty about this?
It is not a question so much of bestirring myself as of becoming convinced that, in fact, credit facilities are at the root of the problem. I am not convinced of that yet. Apart from this one inquiry, brought to my notice as a result of an Adjournment debate, I have not had any others at all.