File containing papers on plans for the future of Devonport dockyard and the progress of the Dockyard Services Bill designed to introduce a commercial agency management scheme in the Royal Dockyards, including:

• Memoranda and news cutting concerning proposals for a wholly Government-owned PLC to run the dockyards as an alternative scheme to commercial agency management
• Papers concerning Trade Unions offensive against companies interested in managing the Dockyards, including press statement, letter from Secretary of the Shipbuilding Trades' Joint Council (Trade Union Side), Jack Dromey to David Owen enclosing copy of letter sent to companies by the putting the case against commercial management and copy of statement of David Owen in support of the offensive, May 1986
• Papers concerning Lord Denning's investigation into the Dockyard Services Bill , his argument that the bill contained possible contravention of European Community law, and his proposals for amendments to the bill; including copies of amendments, copy correspondence between Lord Denning and Lord Trefgarne concerning the proposed amendments; copy press statements and news cuttings concerning Lord Denning's opinions. Also copy of Lord Denning's paper interpreting the Dockyard Services Act 1986 with correspondence between Lord Denning and David Owen and briefing notes concerning the paper, Aug-Sep 1986
• Briefing notes and memoranda on the progress of the bill; some prepared by David Owen's research assistant Alex de Mont
• Papers concerning Trade Union action taken against the Government's plans for commercial agency management of the dockyards and redundancy proposals for dockyard workers, including correspondence between David Owen and Ministry of Defence officials; correspondence between David Owen and the Secretary of the Electrical Electronic Telecommunication and Plumbing Union Plymouth branch Neil Skinnerwith copies of papers relating to meetings and correspondence between the Trade Unions and the Ministry of Defence etc, Sep-Dec 1986