asked the Minister of Labour what new action he is taking in regard to the delay in the docks of exports, examples of which, such as footwear needed for the Christmas trade in Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, and France, have been given in the correspondence sent to him by the hon. Member for Louth; and if he will make a statement.

On the immediate question of restrictions on weekend working which are contributing to the delays in certain ports, including London, I am seeing the two unions particularly concerned today. On the wider issues, the Committee of Inquiry under the chairmanship of Lord Devlin which has reported on wages will now be examining the subjects of decasualisation, causes of dissension in the industry and other matters affecting efficiency of working.

I wish the Minister good luck in his interview today and I hope that he gets results, but does he agree that many exporters, such as footwear manufacturers, find that their exports are held up by these irritating delays in the docks and that, if we are to get our exports where we want them, the docks problem must be solved? Would not his right hon. Friend Mr. Frank Cousins do better if he shared the Minister's bed of nails instead of playing with technology?

The last part of that supplementary question was not worthy of the hon. Gentleman. On the first part, I agree that we must somehow or other, and quickly, find a solution to these problems at the docks. We are bedevilled by history and the mess of generations and I can only say at this point that, once hon. Gentlemen let me off the hook, I shall resume consultations with the union.

Will the Minister ensure that Lord Devlin's Committee has every opportunity to visit foreign docks such as Antwerp and Rotterdam which have had a much more successful record than we have had in many cases in order to try to discover some of their secrets?

I do not give instructions to Lord Devlin or his Committee. I am sure that he will note what has been said.

Does the Minister agree that some of the restrictive practices operated in the docks are the worst in the country, and is not this by far the most urgent problem to be investigated?

The hon. Gentleman generalises again. I do not know whether they are the worst in the country. There are certain other areas of industry which I should want to look at very carefully before saying that about the docks. I am trying to clear up a mess. I do not yet know how to do it, but I am doing my best.