HC Deb 30 March 1961 vol 637 c1497
1. Commander Kerans

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the present rate of unemployment in The Hartlepools; and what are the prospects for future industries coming into the area.

The President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Reginald Maudling)

The current rate in the Hartlepools group of Employment Exchange areas is 3.3 per cent. wholly unemployed, compared with an average rate in 1960 of 4.3 per cent. There are about 2,200 jobs in prospect, but these are nearly all the result of expansions planned by firms already in the area.

Commander Kerans

While thanking my right hon. Friend for that very helpful reply, may I tell him that I appreciate all the efforts which the Board of Trade have made in the North-East to date? May I remind him that the Reserve Fleet is to disappear from Hartlepools by 1962, which will create a measure of unemployment in the months ahead?

Mr. Maudling

We will certainly keep a close eye on that situation.