HC Deb 28 March 1963 vol 674 cc1510-2
6. Mr. Stratton Mills

asked the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction to the Central Electricity Generating Board that, when placing contracts for new equipment, it should pay particular attention to the unemployment situation in, and facilities offered by, Northern Ireland.

7. Commander Kerans

asked the Minister of Power what consultations he has had with the Central Electricity Generating Board regarding the placing of contracts by the Board in the Hartlepools, with a view to alleviating unemployment; and what was their outcome.

39. Mr. Dempsey

asked the Minister of Power if, in the national interest, he will give a general direction to the Central Electricity Generating Board that it should place contracts in North Lanarkshire in view of its high rate of unemployment.

Mr. Wood

The placing of contracts is entirely a matter for the Generating Board, which carries out the Government's contracts preference scheme.

Mr. Stratton Mills

Is not this rather a short-sighted policy? Does not the Government have an ideal method here of ensuring that work goes to areas of high unemployment, in particular to areas where there has been a run down in heavy engineering industry? Will my right hon. Friend look at this again and give some indication of the percentage of the orders which, over the last few years, have gone to areas of high unemployment?

Mr. Wood

I will certainly make the researches my hon. Friend has asked for, but the Government's scheme which the Board works does give preference, other things being equal, to areas of heavy unemployment. Clearly it is necessary that things like price, quality and delivery dates should be equal if the tenders are to be considered seriously by the Board.

Commander Kerans

Is my right hon. Friend aware that I have much the same problem as my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast, North (Mr. Stratton Mills)? Surely this is a case where the Government can step in immediately for the benefit of areas of high unemployment. In my constituency we have sub-standard electricity works. Surely this sort of thing could be tackled in such areas. As I have stated, I still have 10.6 per cent. unemployed. Can we have action now?

Mr. Wood

I assure my hon. and gallant Friend again that action is not necessary now because action has already been taken in the formulation of the preference scheme. Preference is given to firms in development districts if their prices, quality and delivery dates are comparable with other tenders.

Mr. Dempsey

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in areas like Coatbridge and Airdrie, which has a consistently high unemployment rate—it is more than 10 per cent. of the insured population—it is reasonable to expect that publicly-owned enterprises should send in jobs?

Mr. Wood

Parliament has already told this nationalised industry that it should provide electricity as economically as possible. Therefore, it is right that it should buy its equipment as economically as possible. But, where other things are equal, preference is given to the kind of area the hon. Gentleman has in mind.