§ 33. Mr. Woodnuttasked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the redundancies and anticipated redundancies at the shipbuilding yards of J. Samuel White and Company Limited, of Cowes, Isle of Wight, he will now consider further applications for assistance under the Development Areas Treasury Advisory Committee from organisations wishing to develop in the Isle of Wight.
§ Mr. MaudlingNo, Sir. The jobs in prospect for the Isle of Wight should fully offset any unemployment which results from the redundancies to which my hon. Friend refers.
§ Mr. WoodnuttIs my right hon. Friend aware that the implementation of the Local Employment Act in the Isle of Wight has been most successful so far? Is he also aware that 114 men received redundancy notices at Samuel White and Company this week and another 1,000 will do so before the end of the year? If I am able to prove to him that the statement he has just made is incorrect, will he reconsider his decision?
§ Mr. MaudlingOf course I would, but my information, which I think is accurate, is that unemployment on the island is nearly 1 per cent. lower than it was a year ago and more than 1,200 jobs are in prospect. I shall, of course, watch the situation very closely, but I think my hon. Friend is possibly being a little over gloomy about the prospects in the island.