§ 7. Mr. Evelyn Kingasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what proposals he has to ease winter unemployment in the Weymouth and Portland areas.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithI am aware of the seasonal element in unemployment in the Weymouth and Portland area. The Department's local officers do everything they can at all times to help workers registered with us to find employment, including the offer of training opportunities where appropriate.
§ Mr. KingWould my hon. Friend encourage the use of Portland stone, which is the best stone in the world, in Government building? Would he also guarantee, in an area where there is 5 per cent. unemployment, a fuller issue of industrial development certificates, whether or not it is a development area?
§ Mr. SmithThe matter of i.d.c.s is one for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Technology. I am sure that he will look sympathetically at that point. The answer to my hon. Friend's question about Portland stone is "Yes, Sir". There has been a fall in the demand for stone products, but the Government would be prepared to look at the question of using this stone for Government buildings.