§ 43. Mr. Holtasked the Minister of Labour which towns in the North of England and Scotland have an unemployment rate in excess of 6 per cent. of the total insured workers.
§ Mr. HareI will, with permission, circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT, a table listing employment exchange areas in the Northern, North Western, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire regions and Scotland where the level of unemployment exceeds 6 per cent.
§ Mr. HoltI thank the Minister for that reply, but in the Government's plans to deal with the problem in these towns, is he satisfied that his Ministry has adequate information about the abilities and qualities of those people they wish to get employed again, particularly the young who are under the Youth Employment Service of the education authorities and not under his Department? Concerning the lists giving the categories of people in insured employment, why is the only list available for any employment area that for June, 1961, and not for 1962, although the count is taken at June each year?
§ Mr. HareThe answer to the first part of that supplementary question is that my Department does keep in very close touch with the Youth Employment Service of the local education authorities and endeavours to try to fit people into jobs which suit their abilities. Regarding the last part, I would like to look into that. I will either write to the hon. Member or he might care to put down another Question, for I do not have the answer readily available.
§ Dr. BrayIs the Minister aware that there is a certain amount of sluggishness on the part of the Ministry regarding information in these matters? Can he say how many towns with unemployment of over 6 per cent. are not scheduled as development districts, and will he consider a speed-up in this matter, not only in his own Ministry but also in the Board of Trade?
§ Mr. HareDoubtless the hon. Member has one or two instances in mind, otherwise he would not be making these allegations. I will deal with any specific instances if he will put them to me in writing. On the general point he has raised, we had better see what this table looks like. Of course, some of this unemployment is obviously due to the severe weather conditions we have had, because we have seen that a lot of people have been temporarily 574 stopped. However, I think that it would be better for the House to see the table and not to debate the matter now.
§ Mr. Hector HughesIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that this is at least the second time today that he has escaped his responsibilities for the Questions that have been put to him by saying that he will circulate the answer in the OFFICIAL REPORT? That is most undesirable because the facts should be brought before Parliament so that they can be dealt with openly instead of in this sinister way.
§ Mr. HareThe hon. and learned Member looks a little angry, but I do not think he really is. He is too old a Parliamentarian. If I were to read out long lists of tables and figures, it would not only bore the House but it would also bore the hon. and learned Member. It is much better, therefore, that such statistics should be published in the OFFICIAL REPORT, following which we can, by all means, debate them.
§ Following is the information:
§ AREAS IN NORTHERN, NORTH WESTERN AND YORKSHIRE AND LINCOLNSHIRE REGIONS AND SCOTLAND WHERE THE RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT AT 14TH JANUARY, 1963, WAS IN EXCESS OF 6 PER CENT.
§ NOTE: The figures given below relate either to employment exchanges or to groups of employment exchanges where those cover travel-to-work areas.
| Per cent. | |||
| Northern | |||
| Alnwick | … | … | 6.1 |
| Amble | … | … | 10.6 |
| Barnard Castle | … | … | 9.7 |
| Middleton-in-Teesdale | … | … | |
| Berwick | … | … | 7.3 |
| Bishop Auckland | … | … | 9.2 |
| Crook | … | … | |
| Shildon | … | … | |
| Spennymoor | … | … | |
| Blaydon | … | … | 9.7 |
| Blyth | … | … | 7.3 |
| Chester-le-Street | … | … | 8.5 |
| Consett | … | … | 6.8 |
| Gateshead | … | … | 6.7 |
| Felling | … | … | |
| Guisborough | … | … | 11.8 |
| Haltwhistle | … | … | 6.3 |
| Hartlepool | … | … | 12.0 |
| West Hartlepool | … | … | |
| Haswell | … | … | 7.9 |
| Hexham | … | … | 6.3 |
| Horden | … | … | 7.4 |
| Houghton-le-Spring | … | … | 8.1 |
| Loftus | … | … | 8.7 |
| Middlesbrough | … | … | 7.8 |
| Billingham | … | … | |
| Redcar | … | … | |
| South Bank | … | … | |
| Stockton and Thornaby | … | … |
| Per cent. | |||
| Prudhoe | … | … | 9.0 |
| Saltburn | … | … | 18.8 |
| Scarborough | … | … | 7.3 |
| Seaton Delaval | … | … | 12.8 |
| South Shields | … | … | 9.3 |
| East Boldon | … | … | |
| Jarrow and Hebburn | … | … | |
| Stokesley | … | … | 12.9 |
| Sunderland | … | … | 9.9 |
| Pallion | … | … | 9.9 |
| Southwick | … | … | 9.9 |
| Wallsend | … | … | 6.5 |
| North Shields | … | … | |
| Whitley Bay | … | … | |
| Whitby | … | … | 15.3 |
| Wingate | … | … | 7.8 |
| Workington | … | … | 8.5 |
| Aspatria | … | … | |
| Cockermouth | … | … | |
| Maryport | … | … | |
| North Western | |||
| Bacup | … | … | 7.4 |
| Blackpool | … | … | 7.3 |
| Fleetwood | … | … | 6.8 |
| Thornton Cleveleys | … | … | |
| Hindley | … | … | 6.7 |
| Hoylake | … | … | 9.1 |
| Littleborough | … | … | 6.1 |
| Merseyside and Prescot | … | … | 6.8 |
| Morecambe | … | … | 6.4 |
| Neston | … | … | 9.8 |
| New Mills | … | … | 6.2 |
| Up Holland | … | … | 11.4 |
| Widnes | … | … | 6.7 |
| Winsford | … | … | 6.9 |
| Yorkshire and Lincolnshire | |||
| Bridlington | … | … | 8.1 |
| Filey | … | … | 6.9 |
| Hemsworth | … | … | 6.9 |
| South Kirkby | … | … | |
| Maltby | … | … | 8.4 |
| Skegness | … | … | 7.7 |
| Mablethorpe | … | … | |
| Scotland | |||
| Anstruther | … | … | 10.1 |
| Ardrossan | … | … | 9.6 |
| Irvine | … | … | |
| Kilwinning | … | … | |
| Stevenston | … | … | |
| Banchory | … | … | 6.7 |
| Banff | … | … | 12.9 |
| Bathgate | … | … | 9.8 |
| Broxburn | … | … | |
| East Calder | … | … | |
| WestCalder | … | … | |
| Blairgowrie | … | … | 7.9 |
| Bo'ness | … | … | 6.8 |
| Buckie | … | … | 14.2 |
| Campbeltown | … | … | 10.5 |
| Cumnock | … | … | 12.2 |
| Dingwall | … | … | 9.6 |
| Invergordon | … | … | |
| Dumbarton | … | … | 9.0 |
| Alexandria | … | … | |
| Helensburgh | … | … | |
| Dunfermline | … | … | 6.7 |
| Burntisland | … | … | |
| Cowdenbeath | … | … | |
| Inverkeithing | … | … |
| Per cent. | |
| Elgin | 8.1 |
| Lossiemouth | |
| Forres | 8.9 |
| Granton-on-Spey | |
| Nairn | |
| Fraserburgh | 10.5 |
| Girvan | 10.0 |
| Glasgow area (including Barrhead, Clydebank, Kirkintilloch and Rutherglen) | 6.1 |
| Greenock | 9.7 |
| Port Glasgow | |
| Huntly | 7.6 |
| Inverness | 7.3 |
| Keith | 6.5 |
| Kilbirnie | 7.4 |
| Dairy | |
| Kilmarnock | 6.1 |
| Newmilns | |
| Stewarton | |
| Kirkcaldy | 8.4 |
| Leslie | |
| Leven and Methil | |
| Kirkwall | 7.0 |
| Lerwick | 25.7 |
| Lesmahagow | 11.5 |
| Musselburgh | 6.7 |
| Tranent | |
| North Lanarkshire | 9.7 |
| Oban | 10.7 |
| Peterhead | 9.8 |
| Portree | 24.1 |
| Rothesay | 11.3 |
| Sanquhar | 9.8 |
| Shotts | 10.9 |
| Stornoway | 31.4 |
| Stranraer | 9.7 |
| Thurso | 8.0 |
| Turriff | 8.7 |
| Wick | 14.0 |