HC Deb 25 June 1963 vol 679 cc1124-6
31. Mr. C. Hughes

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to deal with persistent depopulation.

Mr. Green

My right hon. Friend's responsibility under the Local Employment Act is to assist industrial development in areas of high and persistent unemployment, where people are actually seeking work.

Mr. Hughes

Is it not necessary to change the criterion of the Local Employment Act so as to bring areas where depopulation is a continuing sore within the ambit of the Act? The problems of depopulation are quite as serious as the problems of unemployment.

Mr. Green

I accept quite well the line of thought which the hon. Gentleman is pursuing, but I am afraid that I can only answer him in accordance with the existing powers of my right hon. Friend under the Act. At this moment in time, the problem of depopulation is not within my right hon. Friend's purview. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman would care to table a question to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government, for example.

Mr. S. Silverman

Is the hon. Gentleman aware—I am sure he is, representing the constituency he does—that depopulation is often the inevitable result of, and is mainly caused by, the difficulty of obtaining employment in the area? The two problems are therefore directly connected. Is it still the Government's policy in dealing with such a situation not to take work to the people but to drive the people to the work?

Mr. Green

The hon. Gentleman knows quite well from his own experience that the last comment does not represent the fact. A great deal of public money is being spent in areas of high and persistent unemployment, as he knows very well. In fact, he has had some figures this very afternoon. Therefore, his last comment was not very fair. The only suggestion I can make to him is that this must not be over-simplified. There are certain areas in the United Kingdom where unemployment is not high and is not persistent and yet the process of depopulation persists. It is not a question of just one single, simple answer. The hon. Gentleman can shake his head as much as he likes, but if he will look at both factors in the equation he will find the fair answer.

Mr. J. Griffiths

Will the hon. Gentleman bear in mind that in areas such as the one my hon. Friend the Member for Anglesey (Mr. C. Hughes) has in mind there is no work for school-leavers, and they leave the area? The result, therefore, is that unemployment never reaches 4 per cent., but the population goes down all the time and they suffer much more seriously than areas of what are called high unemployment.

Mr. Green

I assure the right hon. Gentleman, as I assured the hon. Member for Anglesey, that I quite understand what is going through his mind. I can only answer as to the powers at present available to my right hon. Friend. I cannot give an answer beyond those powers.

Mr. Hughes

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of that reply, I beg to give notice that I shall seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment.