HC Deb 30 July 1962 vol 664 cc28-30
49. Mr. Bence

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of adult men and women registered as unemployed at the Clydebank and Kirkintilloch employment exchanges; and what steps he is taking to place these people in employment within reasonable travelling dis-ance of their homes.

Mr. Whitelaw

On 16th July, 1962, 1,007 men and 137 women were registered as unemployed at Clydebank and 194 men and 100 women at Kirkintilloch. Our local officers are doing all they can to find suitable employment for these workers.

Mr. Bence

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that in Clydebank the Singer Sewing Machine Co. is in process of contracting its production in this factory, and, further, that the future of John Brown's shipyard is not too bright? In the burgh of Kirkintilloch, with its overspill agreement with Glasgow, insufficient industry is coming in and in the coming years the placing of young people will be extremely difficult. Will the hon. Gentleman impress on his right hon. and hon. Friends that the impetus of placing more industry in Scotland and of creating more jobs there will have to be speeded up much more than has been the case in the past ten years?

Mr. Whitelaw

The hon. Gentleman and I happen to have a close personal interest in the areas to which he referred, which might have been closer still but for his intervention at one stage. I fully accept what the hon. Gentleman says. I think that I should point out that the facilities of the Local Employment Act are available to both these places which are in the Glasgow travel-to-work area. I know that it is not a popular thing with some people to know what jobs are in prospect, but it is fair to say that there are about 4,600 jobs in prospect in this area. I do not wish to put it higher than that, but they are in prospect.

Mr. Bence

The problem will arise to a greater extent in Twechr, Condoratt and Cumbernauld. Also, in these areas men over 45 cannot get jobs, not even in Glasgow or anywhere else. Will the hon. Gentleman see to it that some industries are moved into this area to enable these men to get suitable employment?

Mr. Whitelaw

The hon. Gentleman and I are perhaps among the few who are able to refer to some of these places by their correct names. I fully appreciate what he says. We have to realise that there is the new town of Cumbernauld which the hon. Gentleman knows very well. New industries have been put there and considerable development is going on, but that does not detract from the difficulty in this area of which I and my right hon. Friends are fully aware.

Mr. Grimond

Can the hon. Gentleman tell us the difference between "jobs in prospect" and "jobs in the pipeline "?

Mr. Whitelaw

I have often, from a different position, listened to the words "jobs in the pipeline". I realised that the House was getting rather tired of this, so I thought that it might like a new name, and "jobs in prospect" seemed very fair.

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