§ 2. Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what increase has taken place in male and in juvenile unemployment in the exchange areas of the Rother Valley constituency during the last 12 months.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithAt 8th March, 1971 the provisional number of males registered as unemployed in the area covered by the Rotherham, Maltby and Dinning-ton Employment Exchange was 268 lower than at 9th March, 1970. The number of young persons was 27 higher.
§ Mr. HardyI thank the Minister for that reply. I was aware of those figures, but obviously the hon. Gentleman has not taken account of the very serious increase in unemployment now occurring in those three exchange areas. Does he recall saying last year that April was a particularly chilly month in the unemployment sense? Will it be even frostier in 1971?
§ Mr. SmithWe sincerely hope not, because a great deal is being done to try to combat the rise in unemployment. Those are the very latest figures, the figures for March. There has been a fall. That does not mean that the situation is necessarily satisfactory up there, but I am hopeful that it will not become a great deal worse. We shall do all we can to make sure that it does not.