§ 5. Mr. Boydenasked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what increases in coal mining, railway-wagon building and heavy engineering he expects to occur in southwest Durham in 1963 as a result of the recommendations of the Lord President of the Council.
§ Mr. Denzil FreethMy noble Friend's efforts are directed to encouraging a higher level of economic activity in the region as a whole. It is too early to judge how they will affect employment in individual industries in particular localities over a short period time.
§ Mr. BoydenDoes the Parliamentary Secretary expect any increase in these activities in south-west Durham?
§ Mr. FreethI have every hope that we shall see increased activities in various parts of the area, though my noble Friend is fully aware of the very special difficulties of this area and not least the shortage of possible building sites owing to subsidence and so on.
§ Mr. ManuelCould the Parliamentary Secretary indicate, in connection with the coal mining and the railway industries, what will be the Lord President's advice to his colleagues in the Cabinet as to the future of these two industries in that area?
§ Mr. FreethI cannot say what advice my noble Friend gives to his colleagues, but the results of his advice and the deliberations of his colleagues are manifest in the decisions which have been taken.