SHIPBUILDING

That this House deplores the failure of the Government to create an environment within which United Kingdom maritime industries can compete in the international market place and thereby undermining the defence of the country, the safety of shipping in United Kingdom waters and health of the economy overall; therefore calls on the Government to reconsider the naval procurement programme with a view to using part of the defence budget to support the building of the merchant ships needed for overall defence requirements, exempt ship-owners from claiming income tax from seafarers crewing vesses built in United Kingdom yards, in line with the practice of other successful shipping nations such as Denmark, redisgnate those yards currently building warships as mixed-build yards so that they may have accesss to the European Community's Seventh Directive on the Shipbuilding safety regulations in the maritime industries and enforce this amongst all shipping travelling through United Kingdom waters, introduce tax exemption for capital investment within the shipping industry and extend and enhance the support currently given to aircraft manufactureres in developing new products to the manufacture of engines for merchant vessels.