2.47 p.m.
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what conclusions they have drawn from their study of the possible demand by bulk raw material users for development of M.I.D.As. as originally proposed by the National Ports Council.
My Lords, the technical study to assess the demand of bulk-processing industries for coastal sites adjacent to deep-water over the next twenty years or so has recently been completed, but the material has not yet been examined by the various departments concerned.
My Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that reply, which marks some advance, may I ask him to draw the attention of the Department to the fact that the world-wide carriage of bulk raw materials in bulk carriers has risen from 15 per cent. to 77 per cent. over 10 years; that the number of 300,000-ton tankers now on order is twice that of a year ago, and that the number of quarter-million-ton tankers now on order is very nearly twice. The use of these ships and provision of facilities for them could give us a very important development by way of entrepĂ´t trade.
My Lords, I am obliged to my noble friend for that information. I will certainly bring it to the attention of the Department.
My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he will encourage noble Lords to cease using these acronyms which backward people like me have difficulty in understanding? I now appreciate what the question is about, but it would help the House if "M.I.D.A.s." had been set out in full.
My Lords, we have had quite a lot of discussion from time to time on maritime industrial de velopment areas and I hope that the noble Lord will accept that we do try to put down full information where we think the House would like it.
My Lords, without wishing to embarrass the House by prolonging this question-and-answer session, may I ask the noble Lord whether he will also bring to the attention of the Department in their considerations of maritime industrial development areas (rather than "M.I.D.As.") a very important study recently produved by Messrs. Drewry & Partners, shipping consultants, which bears closely on this subject?
Yes, my Lords, I will willingly do that.