§ 23. Mr. Lawsonasked the President of the Board of Trade how many Industrial Development Certificates have been granted since the passing of the Local Employment Act in areas of full employment; and how many new jobs have been created.
§ Mr. N. MacphersonWe have no definition of areas of full employment, but from the passing of the Local Employment Act industrial development certificates issued in the Midlands and the London and South Eastern areas, excluding development districts, totalled 3,167, with an estimated employment of about 98,100.
§ Mr. LawsonDoes not this show that the present methods are inadequate to enable the Government to carry out their declared policy of bringing about a more adequate distribution of industry to areas of high unemployment? Will the hon. Gentleman ensure that measures such as that suggested by my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mr. Hannan) and others are put into effect so that we have much more than the weapon of mere industrial development certificates but other effective weapons by which distribution of industry can be adequately carried out in the areas which need industry?
§ Mr. MacphersonI endeavoured to explain in the debate on the 26th of last month how this worked. I think that the main answer to the hon. Gentleman is that the proportion of extra employment provided from industrial development certificates in relation to the insured employees in development districts is 2. 1 per cent. In the areas I have mentioned— the Midlands, London and the South East— the proportion is 0. 8 per cent. This means that there are twice as many jobs coming from I.D.C.s in relation to employment in the development districts as elsewhere.
§ Mr. LawsonDoes not the hon. Gentleman agree that many more jobs are being provided in areas of high employment than are being provided in this way in development districts?
268 These measures touch only a small part of the number of new jobs being created. New jobs are being created every day outwith his control? Will he ensure that he has more adequate control than this method?
§ Mr. MacphersonTo some extent that is true with empty factories, and so forth, but it is also true in the development districts and other parts of the country.