§ 43 and 44. Dr. Kingasked the Minister of Labour (1) if he will state the number of unemployed in Southampton for December, 1957, December, 1958, February, 1959, and for the latest available date;
(2) if he will state the number of unemployed in the ship-repairing industry in Southampton for December, 1957, December, 1958, February, 1959, and for the latest available date.
Mr. lain MacleodThe total number registered as unemployed in the Southampton area was 1,637 at 9th December, 1957, 2,724 at 8th December, 1958, 3,063 at 9th February, 1959, and 4,497 at 13th April, 1959. Of these, the numbers in the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industries were 337, 436, 404 and 1,806 respectively. Separate figures for ship repairing are not available.
§ Dr. KingIs the Minister aware that every Southampton trade unionist is concerned about the growing unemployment, which his figures reveal, not only in the ship repairing industry but in the aircraft industry, and that employers in Southampton are desperately seeking new contracts to keep their workers at work? Will he come to Southampton and meet both sides to see in what way he can help them?
Mr. MacleodI am not sure I can promise to come to Southampton. I was there quite recently. I agree that this is a difficult problem. It is no coincidence that the individual problems which are mentioned in Questions on the Order Paper today are concerned with the ship repairing industry. When I gave the March figures I said that this was the one sector which, contrary to the present trend, was showing signs of decline. However, I think it is true to say that the main reason is the coming to an end of the repair programme for the liners over the winter. To that extent, it is not surprising that, contrary to the normal trend, unemployment does rise a little bit at this time of the year.
§ Mr. J. HowardWhile sharing the concern about the rise in unemployment in Southampton, may I ask my right hon. Friend, in connection with the ship-repairing industry, whether the number of orders which have gone abroad is comparatively a small margin, and could not that margin possibly be eliminated if the time for tea breaks were limited to specific times and a serious attempt were made to deal with the lines of demarcation, especially in work on the smaller orders?
Mr. MacleodI do not think I can break down these figures in the way in which my hon. Friend suggests. It is certainly true that there is a position that has become precarious in many of our important ports. I am sure that both sides of industry realise that, and that everything should be done to obtain as many orders as we possibly can for this country.