Radio Industry

HC Deb 06 March 1956 vol 549 cc1900-2

9. Mr. Hunter

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed in the radio industry at the latest convenient date.

Mr. Iain Macleod

The manufacture of radio and television sets is included in a classification which also covers gramophones, radar equipment, etc., and the manufacture of valves is included in the classification entitled "Wireless Valves and Electric Lamps." For these two classifications the numbers registered as unemployed at 13th February were 1,548 and 348 respectively.

Mr. Hunter

Arising out of that reply, may I ask the Minister if he will watch carefully the position in the radio industry in which there are signs of a great slump developing similar to that in the motorcar industry? Will the Minister also pay special attention to some areas in my own district of south-west Middlesex where there are large radio factories, as my constituency is specially interested in this matter?

Mr. Macleod

Yes, indeed, we will watch this carefully. There is one general point I want to make in fairness to the House. The figures I have quoted for 13th February are the latest available and they will not be published for a day or two yet. These show the position of unemployment at 13th February which, the House will remember, was a few days before the Chancellor announced his measures.

Mr. Skeffington

Is the Minister aware that there is a threat of redundancy involving some 1,800 workers at the E.M.I. factory at Hayes? Further, could he say what steps his Ministry are taking to deal with that situation should it develop?

Mr. Macleod

If redundancy involves people in registering at the employment exchanges, as it does not always do, particularly in this industry, then all the services of the Ministry are available to them. Again, however, there are sometimes great discrepancies in the figures, because although one reads, and knows, of considerable redundancies created in this industry, not a very large percentage of those register at the employment exchanges.

Captain Pilkington

Can my right hon. Friend say whether he thinks that a majority of these people can be successfully absorbed into other businesses?

Mr. Macleod

It is difficult to generalise about that. What one can say is that the number of vacancies in general over the country are still very much greater than the number of unemployed.

Mr. Burke

Can the Minister say what proportion of these people who are unemployed are in Lancashire?

Mr. Macleod

No, Sir, not without notice.