§ 21. Mr. Roderickasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of redundancies, of which he has been notified, in the counties of Brecon and Radnor since 1st January, 1971; and what is his estimate of the number likely in the next three months.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasNotification of redundancies is made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment. I understand that since 1st January this year the Department of Employment has been notified of redundancies involving the loss of 715 jobs. It is not possible to make any estimate of the number likely to be notified to the Department in the future.
§ Mr. RoderickIn that case I wonder whether the right hon. Gentleman can help me by saying whether this includes the figures expected for Teddington Aircraft Controls, which will close on 9th April. I want the Minister to tell the House what he is prepared to do to help in this instance, particularly as this is a factory in a special development area, and the firm intends to transfer operations to Streatham, which is outside a development area. In that case, will the Secretary of State tell the House what he is prepared to do to intervene?
§ Mr. Peter ThomasThe increase in the redundancies since the reply which was given to the hon. Gentleman by my hon. Friend is due to the closure of Teddington Air Controls. Apart from that, there would be a total of 63 redundancies since 1st January of this year. The hon. Gentleman will be aware of the special circumstances in which it was announced that Teddington Air Controls was to be closed. It is a matter of concern, and my Department is in touch with the company.