§ Q5. Mr. James Hamiltonasked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the co-ordination between all the Departments responsible for the unemployed; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterI would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23rd November to a Question from the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner).—[Vol. 826, c. 338.]
§ Mr. HamiltonDoes the Prime Minister agree that, without exception, all his Ministers concerned with unemployment, since they first introduced their mini-Budget after the General Election, have been making different statements about the unemployment situation? Will he now, as Prime Minister, assure us that the Chancellor of the Exchequer will make a statement and that all Ministers will be in accord and on the self-same wavelength? Will he also assure us that, as Prime Minister, he will tell the country that there will not be one million unemployed by February next year?
§ The Prime MinisterWe have recently debated all these matters in the House.
§ Mr. HamiltonAnswer the question.
§ Mr. OnslowWill my right hon. Friend tell us whether, following his meeting with the T.U.C. yesterday, he found its attitude to unemployment rather more constructive than that of the Opposition?
§ The Prime MinisterIt was indeed. In a very valuable discussion lasting an hour and a half we considered a variety of proposals which the T.U.C. wished to put before us, and we undertook to examine all of them. We also had a very detailed analysis of the reasons for the present level of unemployment and how best it can be dealt with.
§ Mr. GrimondNow that there are, unfortunately, very large unemployed resources in the country, may I ask the Prime Minister whether he agrees that a great deal more could be done to improve the living conditions and environment of the communities in which the unemployed live? Will he consider setting up machinery by which there can be consultation between Government Departments and between Government Departments and local authorities with a view to getting this work done?
§ The Prime MinisterThat machinery already exists. What is more, under the Department of the Environment, a great deal of action has been taken—to a considerable extent because of the level of unemployment and therefore the available resources to deal with the problems mentioned by the right hon. Gentleman. I need only call his attention to increased road programmes in the regions which have high unemployment, the clearance of derelict areas, for which specially increased grants have been given, which is now going apace, and, what I find in my contacts in the country to be one of the most important, the increased improvement grants for housing over the next two years, of which great advantage has been taken.
§ Mr. DellIs the Prime Minister aware that in Birkenhead unemployment is now virtually double what it was a year ago and that it is substantially higher than it has been at any time for which comparable records have been taken? Will he tell us why there cannot be a special development area on Merseyside?
§ The Prime MinisterWe have to concentrate the resources available into the areas which have the greatest problems. Every Government have dealt with the problem in this way. We have extended special development areas in other parts of the country to concentrate resources upon them.