HC Deb 21 December 1961 vol 651 cc1539-40
7. Mr. Jay

asked the President of the Board of Trade what measures he proposes to take to check the excessive growth of industrial employment in the Eastern Region shown in Appendix 6 of the First Annual Report by the Board of Trade on the Local Employment Act, 1960.

Mr. Erroll

The growth of industrial employment in the Eastern Region has been large, but I do not agree that it has been excessive. Six of the eight London new towns and seven expanded towns are in the Eastern Region. The purpose of these new and expanded towns is to receive overspill population from London and, of course, employment has to be provided for the people moving into these overspill towns. Of the estimated 16,348 new jobs in the Region, 11,046 were in these overspill towns.

Mr. Jay

Although I realise that the cause of this expansion in the Eastern Region is largely the new towns, would the President of the Board of Trade examine rather seriously whether, if the expansion goes too far, it will not distort his whole attempt to restrain the excessive expansion of employment in south-east England generally? Would he agree that the figures for the Eastern Region are very much out of line with those for the other regions?

Mr. Erroll

I could not agree with the right hon. Gentleman, because the Eastern and South-Eastern Regions, taken together, accommodate 27 per cent. of the total employed in manufacturing industry for the country as a whole, but they shared only 22.8 per cent. of the country's additional employment. They are not, therefore, growing more rapidly than other parts. Whenever we find a firm which can be moved to a development district, we certainly take the opportunity of persuading it to go there.

Mr. Jay

While I appreciate that the right hon. Gentleman is doing and will go on doing his best, may I ask if he is not really saying that the expansion in the Eastern Region has gone a long way towards nullifying the restrictions he has successfully applied in London and the South-East?

Mr. Erroll

It must be remembered that some of the country's most expanding industries are located in London and the South-East Region, and must be allowed a certain amount of expansion in their existing locations.