§ Q4. Mr. Rankinasked the Prime Minister if he will instruct the Ministers concerned to devise means of moderating the unemployment situation which has developed in Scotland.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government are deeply concerned about this. A 1141 great deal has already been done to help. Scotland will of course benefit from the expansionary measures announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and is receiving substantial help in Local Employment assistance and increasing public investment.
§ Mr. RankinWould the right hon. Gentleman, even by a nod of his head in the proper direction, answer the Question? Will he instruct Ministers, as suggested in the Question, to devise means?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not quite know what the hon. Member's experience—
§ Mr. Rankin rose—
§ The Prime MinisterDoes the hon. Member for Glasgow, Govan (Mr. Rankin) want to go on?
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. We have approached a state of confusion and I should like to hear what the hon. Member for Govan wants to say.
§ Mr. RankinMay I direct the attention of the Prime Minister to the words of the Question which ask whether
he will instruct the Ministers concerned to devise means of moderating the unemployment situation which has developed in Scotland"?Will the right hon. Gentleman answer that?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not know what the hon. Member means—
§ Mr. Rankin rose— —
§ Mr. SpeakerWe do not make much progress when a multiplicity of Members are on their feet. The matter would be assisted if the hon. Member for Govan would be good enough either to resume his seat or to stand up.
§ Mr. RankinMay I ask the Prime Minister whether he recollects that last Thursday his Government decided to 1142 embark upon a programme of producing new vessels in the air? Would he agree to suggest to the Ministers concerned, to whom I referred, that a programme of producing new merchant and naval vessels at sea might be considered? In order to facilitate that, would the Prime Minister consider the idea of subsidies for scrapping ships and secondly long-term Government backing for credit to overseas customers?
§ The Prime MinisterI am quite prepared to consider all these proposals.
§ Mr. GrimondWhen considering this matter, may I ask whether the Prime Minister would also consider giving some attention to the possibility of helping areas of heavy unemployment by means of some tax discrimination and possibly by increasing investment allowances? Also when implementing the Rochdale Report on certain ports, could the Prime Minister give a priority to work in ports which themselves serve areas where there is high unemployment?
§ The Prime MinisterAll these matters will be taken into account. Broadly speaking, there are two groups of methods by which the situation can be improved. First, there are those which are general to the economy, that is in increasing the general strength of the economy, which is expansion. That, of course, is limited by our great need not to fall into another danger through the incomes policy not being adjusted to general expansion. Then there are the special interests of special areas such as the building of advance factories, the use of the Local Employment Act, public works, including docks, which the right hon. Gentleman mentioned, and all the other proposals which we have in mind.