§ 19 and 20. Miss Herbisonasked the Minister of Labour (1) the numbers of unemployed registered at the Shotts Employment Exchange in April, 1958, and April, 1959; and what percentage of the insured population these represented;
(2) the latest figures of those registered as unemployed at the Shotts Employment Exchange; and what percentage of the insured population this represents.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodTwo hundred and eighty-four or 3.8 per cent. at 14th 612 circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I would, however, remind the hon. Member of what I said in reply to his Question on 13th April, 1959, about the misleading nature of these ratios.
§ Mr. LawsonWill the Minister confirm that the ratio of unemployed boys in Scotland is about fifteen times worse than the ratio of unemployed boys to unfilled vacancies in the Midlands? Does he not think that this is an intolerable position for Scotland?
§ Mr. MacleodI am not sure how I can make the immediate calculation. The ratio is certainly much higher and, possibly, even rather more than the hon. Member suggests. I merely say that there is no direct comparison that can be drawn between these figures. It would be valid only if the occupational classification were the same.
§ April, 1958; 390 or 5.2 per cent. at 15th April, 1959, and 389 or 5.1 per cent. at 11th May, 1959.
§ Miss HerbisonIs the Minister aware that these figures are very considerable compared with the figures for the United Kingdom? Is he not also aware that these figures would be much higher had not many hundreds of the people left the area? Will the right hon. Gentleman do anything at all, in conjunction with the President of the Board of Trade, to ensure that alternative work is brought to an area where the coal industry has collapsed almost completely?
§ Mr. MacleodI agree with the hon. Lady about the seriousness of the problem. This is one of the most difficult areas with which we have to deal. As for collaboration with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, I will, of course, take it up. This is now a D.A.T.A.C. area and we are trying to bring new industry to it, so far, I am afraid, without much success. We will, however, go on trying.
§ 21. Miss Herbisonasked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women registered at the Shotts Employment Exchange who have been unemployed for more than six months and for more than eight weeks, respectively.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodOn 9th March, the latest date for which these quarterly statistics are available, there were 79 men and boys and 81 women and girls registered at the Shotts Employment Exchange and Youth Employment Office who had been unemployed for more than eight weeks but less than six months, and 71 men and boys and 52 women and girls who had been unemployed over six months. I will send the comparable figures for June to the hon. Lady as soon as they are available.
§ Miss HerbisonDoes the Minister not agree that those figures which he has just given show that the majority of those unemployed and registered at the Shotts Exchange have been unemployed for a very long time? Indeed, some of them have been unemployed almost for years. Is the right hon. Gentleman not also aware that many people are tired of hearing of the efforts that the Government are making? What they want to see is some result from those efforts. Surely, when the Government have been considering the question of advance factories, a place in which unemployment has been of such long duration should have been attended to long ago.
§ Mr. MacleodI understand what the hon. Lady says. I, too, want to see results from these efforts. That is why we make them. The figures which I have just given underline the fact that the main problem here is that of a marked shortage of jobs for women. It is not an unusual situation in coal mining areas, but there are very limited employment opportunities here. That is why we will continue to give the area as high a priority as we can.