§ 31. Mr. Iremongerasked the President of the Board of Trade what effect the difficulty in obtaining mortgages is having on the mobility of labour and on decisions of firms to move to development areas.
§ Mr. DarlingI have no evidence that a difficulty in obtaining mortgages is having an adverse effect on decisions to move to development areas.
§ Mr. IremongerIs not the right hon. Gentleman aware, none the less, that all the talk about shake-out and redeployment as a result of the freeze and the squeeze has come to nothing? Could he make a statement about the general effect of his Government's policies on the mobility of labour?
§ Mr. DarlingI do not agree with the hon. Gentleman's first observation. He should bear in mind that the purpose of giving grants, loans and assistance to firms going to development areas is to take work to the workers who are unemployed there. The only difficulty about accommodation is for key workers, and in many parts of the development areas local authorities are extremely helpful in providing that kind of accommodation.
§ Mr. LiptonAre not mortgages generally now much more easily obtainable than for a long time past? Why is it that hon. Members opposite always grumble about any progress that is made?
§ Sir G. NabarroBecause it is negligible; that is why.