§ 14. Mr. George Jegerasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether she is aware of the rise in unemployment in Goole to 4.3 per cent.; and what action is being taken to provide full employment in the area.
§ Mr. FernyhoughI am aware of the position in Goole. My local officers are doing all they can to help those unemployed to find other work and offer training facilities where appropriate. In 842 considering applications for industrial development certificates, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade will take full account of the level of unemployment in the area.
§ Mr. JegerAs there is some doubt in the area as to the Government's intentions, can we have a clear statement as to whether the Government's purpose and policy is to create unemployment and, consequently, to depress the standards of living or to create full employment? If it is the latter, what active steps are to be taken other than the routine reply which I have just received?
§ Mr. FernyhoughI assure my hon. Friend that it is the Government's policy to create full employment. What my hon. Friend is asking us to do is to make more and more areas development areas. When I tell him that the region in which his constituency is situated contains 9 per cent. of the insurable population and that unemployment is roughly the same—just over 9 per cent. of the total population—whereas in the Northern Region, where there is only 5 per cent. of the insurable population, unemployment represents 10 per cent. of the total, he will see why we have to concentrate on the development areas until we reduce those figures.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Questions and answers are getting rather long.