North-East

HC Deb 27 April 1960 vol 622 cc192-4

14. Mr. Ainsley

asked the Minister of Labour how many boys and girls left school at Easter in the North-East; and how many vacancies are available for boys and girls, respectively.

Mr. P. Thomas

I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible, but it will be some time before full information is available.

Mr. Ainsley

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that of the boys who left school at Christmas and at the end of the Easter term, 50 per cent. have yet to be found employment? What does he intend doing about it?

Mr. Thomas

I am afraid that the numbers of boys who have left school after the last date of unemployment count, which was 11th April, are unknown. I cannot, therefore, comment on that. What I can tell the hon. Gentleman is that there has been a great improvement in the number of vacancies compared with a year ago. Indeed, there has been a great improvement on a month ago. On 9th March there were 1,679 vacancies, and on 6th April the number was 2,644.

15. Mr. Grey

asked the Minister of Labour what consultations he has had with trade unions in the North-East regarding the establishment of a training centre for young people.

Mr. P. Thomas

My right hon. Friend is reviewing the need for a Government training centre in the Northern Region, in consultation with local employer and trade union representatives. He is also considering the provision of first-year apprenticeship training there.

Mr. Grey

Are we to understand from that reply that nothing has been done up to the present moment? Are not the Government taking a nonsensical view when they tell us that no provision for this kind of training centre has been made for young people in the North wanting work? Will not he treat this as a matter of urgency, because the people in the North-East are very concerned?

Mr. Thomas

The consultations with the trade unions, about which the hon. Gentleman's Question asks, refer to the Government training centre, which is something that my right hon. Friend is reviewing. If a Government training centre is reopened in the North-East, the question of whether in that centre there should be first-year apprenticeship training will be considered.

16. Mr. Grey

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the percentage of men, women, and young persons, respectively, unemployed in the North-East at the latest available date.

Mr. Heath

At 11th April, the unemployment rate was 3.1 per cent. The rate for all males was 3.4 per cent., and for all females, 2.6 per cent. It is not possible to compute a separate rate for young persons.

Mr. Grey

One cannot really tell from the figures whether we are better or worse off, but we will assume the position to be a slightly better one. May I ask the Minister whether he is aware that there has always been a firm nucleus of about 33,000 people unemployed in the North-East, and does he not think that whatever efforts have been made they have not been sufficient to meet that need? Will not he review the whole position and make a stronger attack on unemployment in this area?

Mr. Heath

We are making a very serious attack on unemployment in the North-East, because my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has placed seven areas there in his list of development districts. That, therefore, will provide an inducement for industry to go there but, as my right hon. Friend has always explained, it is important to concentrate the resources for the inducements in the areas that need it most rather than to spread them thinly over a very much larger area. I am sure that that is the right policy to follow.

Mr. Lee

Will not the Minister agree that the figures he quotes have been obtained at the beginning of what would appear to be a new period of credit squeeze? Looking at the background of the former credit squeeze, when unem- ployment went up to 750,000, and vacancies diminished by 250,000, will he not agree that, in the present economic circumstances, those figures are dangerous?

Mr. Heath

The figures I gave earlier are those of projects already approved and on which, as far as one knows, the firms will go ahead and provide a number of jobs.