HC Deb 31 July 1958 vol 592 cc1580-1
40. Mr. Leavey

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he intends to take under the powers conferred upon him by the Distribution of Industry Act to help those parts of Lancashire now seriously affected by conditions in the cotton industry.

Sir D. Eccles

I gave the House yesterday, in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle (Mr. Shepherd), a list of the places where the Government are ready to give financial assistance under the powers conferred by the Act. None of the cotton towns is on that list because, I am glad to say, none is suffering from high and persistent unemployment.

Mr. Leavey

I am obliged to my right hon. Friend for his Answer, though I appreciate that it was, to some extent, anticipated by his statement yesterday. In view of the need for diversification, is he aware that there is a real danger now that both material and human resources may not be fully employed in the not-too-distant future, and will he accept my plea, therefore, that he take the most vigorous action to exploit all the powers given to him under the Act, and any more he can get hold of, to anticipate events so far as he can rather than wait until the moment has arrived when we are in serious difficulty?

Sir D. Eccles

I appreciate my hon. Friend's anxieties, and I assure him that we are watching the position very carefully.

Mr. Jay

As the omission of all the cotton areas from the list has come as a shock to many people, will the President of the Board of Trade say now, since he did not make his statement in the House, whether the unemployment percentage was his sole reason for leaving them out?

Sir D. Eccles

Yes, the unemployment percentage is the criterion we use, and I am glad to say that, at present, there is not high and persistent unemployment in the cotton towns.