§ 17. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is satisfied that pending industrial development in Fife will be adequate to provide enought male employment to absorb all those likely to be made redundant in the next few years in the coal mines in Fife; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JayIndustrial developments expected in Fife should provide over 2,700 jobs for men. I shall keep in close touch with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Power about the future requirements for manpower in the coal mining industry.
§ Mr. HamiltonHas my right hon. Friend made any estimate, or has the Minister of Labour made any estimate, as to the likely loss of jobs in this area in the course of the next few months? Does my right hon. Friend realise that most of the coalmines in the area are scheduled for closure in the next few years and, unless substantial male employment is provided over and above the figure he suggested, there will be redundancy and I fear there will be migration of the younger element from the area?
§ Mr. JayYes. We realise that this is a major problem for Scotland and we are in constant touch with the National Coal Board to be sure that we are informed well in advance about future releases of labour. So far we are of the opinion that the new jobs in prospect will reasonably balance the redundancies from the coal industry which can now be foreseen.