§ 1. Mr. Fellasked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed in Great Yarmouth on the last convenient date; how many of them are married men and how many single; how many jobs have been offered to unemployed men in each category, married and single, outside Yarmouth; and with what results.
§ The Minister of Labour and National Service (Mr. Iain Macleod)The total number of adults registered at the employment exchange at Great Yarmouth on 12th March was 1,331, of whom 1,238 were men. In the period 1st December, 1955, to 14th April, 1956, 634 men were put into touch with employers for work in other districts. Of these, 142 had been placed in employment by the end of that period, twenty-two had been accepted by employers but had not yet 1148 begun work and the position of six others was uncertain. The remaining 464 were either not accepted by prospective employers or were in the event unwilling to transfer. I regret that I am unable to give this information in terms of married and single men.
§ Mr. FellWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for that very full reply, may I ask him whether he is not aware that the figure which he has mentioned represents almost 5 per cent. of the total employed population of Great Yarmouth and that that is more than double the percentage of almost any other part of the country, certainly the national average? Though it is largely seasonal, it is a great worry, because it occurs every season. Can my right hon. Friend see whether the fact that there is a pool of good labour available in Yarmouth can be brought to the notice of industrialists generally throughout the country?
§ Mr. MacleodI will have a look at that point. The figures show that a great number of people are reluctant, understandably enough, to leave their own areas, but it remains true that Great Yarmouth is one of the problems to which I referred in the employment debate a few days ago.