HC Deb 03 February 1972 vol 830 cc648-50
2. Mr. John Fraser

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the latest unemployment figures published by his Department.

The Secretary of State for Employment (Mr. Robert Carr)

I have already made it abundantly clear that I regard the level of unemployment as unacceptably high and that it is the Government's first priority to reduce it as swiftly as possible.

Mr. Fraser

Would not "deplorable" be a better description? Does not the Secretary of State realise that cuts in public expenditure must contribute to unemployment and that, if public expenditure were increased to reverse the present downward trend of public authority house-building and to remove the restriction on secondary school improvements, some measure of relief would be given to the large number of unemployed building workers?

Mr. Carr

The hon. Gentleman is on a very bad wicket when he talks about school-building, which has been extended considerably since the present Government came to power.

Mr. Thomas Cox

Absolute rubbish!

Mr. Carr

The hard fact with which we all have to grapple is that within the space of only one year British industry is producing slightly more output with 400,000 fewer people. There is little doubt that the main cause forcing British industry to that dramatic and sudden economy of labour was the wage explosion which started in 1969.

Mr. McCrindle

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that there are a substantial number of vacancies in certain areas of the public service, such as the police force, the fire service and public transport undertakings? Would it not be appropriate to suggest that suitably qualified unemployed people should apply for these vacancies, thereby taking advantage of an admittedly difficult situation?

Mr. Carr

I agree with my hon. Friend that, even in this time of heavy unemployment, a surprising number of vacancies are not being filled. Through my Department's offices I intend to see that as much as possible is done, and perhaps more than has been done in the past, to get unemployed people into the vacancies which exist.

Mr. Heffer

Will the Minister tell us whether the Cabinet has given any consideration to the 12-point programme outlined by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opopsition in his speech on unemployment recently? If so, do the Government intend to carry it out?

Mr. Carr

Long before the Leader of the Opposition put forward his rather bitsy and piecey 12-point programme, we announced that the whole question of regional policy was under fundamental review. But, more important, whereas we have put an enormous boost into the purchasing power of the economy in the last 18 months, in the whole of the six years of the Labour Government they were concerned with taking it out.