§ 43. Mr. Orbachasked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a statement on Government policy in respect of the rapid increase in the number of workers on short time and redundancy in the motor car accessory and light engineering industries.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodI would refer the hon. Member to the statements made in the debate in this House on 3rd July.
§ Mr. OrbachWill not the Minister agree that those statements were thoroughly unsatisfactory? Will he not agree that the present position in the motor car accessory and light engineering industries arises as a result of the Government's policy, what is called flexibility of 584 employment and the credit squeeze? Is it not time for a real examination of this problem before the matter gets out of hand?
§ Mr. MacleodAll these matters were dealt with very carefully, particularly by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the debate to which I have referred, and in which he explained Government policy about the credit squeeze and all the matters which stem from it.