§ 3. Mr. Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he proposes to take to reduce the level of unemployment in the constituency of Stirling and Falkirk Burghs.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Employment (Mr. Dudley Smith)I am confident that the extensive measures taken by the Government to stimulate the economy of the country as a whole, and of the development areas in particular, will, when they have had a chance to bite, lead to an improvement in the unemployment situation in the Stirling and Falkirk Burghs.
§ Mr. EwingIs the Minister aware that his confidence is certainly not shared by my constituents in the Stirling and Falkirk Burghs? Does he accept that the level of unemployment in my constituency is at an all-time high and that officials in his Department, realistically in my view, are forecasting that the position will get much worse before there is any light at the end of the tunnel? Does he also accept that tragically contained within those figures are youngsters who have never had jobs and who are now 17 and 18 years of age?
§ Mr. SmithNo one is attempting to disguise that the situation is other than bad, but it is not entirely bleak. The average in the hon. Gentleman's constituency area is below that for Scotland, which is admittedly very high. Job opportunities are coming along. In the next four years about 1,259 new jobs will be available. A new factory of Gestetner Limited is to open shortly and will give employment to 70 people, and probably many more by the end of the year. The massive measures which the Government have taken to help Scotland will assuredly help the hon. Gentleman's constituency.