§ 1. Mr. Edwin Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give the number of industrial development certificates that have been granted in the Dearne Valley constituency during each of the past four years; and if he will also state the number of jobs involved for males and females, respectively.
§ The Minister for Industrial Development (Mr. Christopher Chataway)As the Answer contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. WainwrightDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that this has been an intermediate area for some years but that unemployment has risen higher still and is now more than twice the national average? When is the right hon. Gentleman going to do something about the area? Why not make it a special development district? Does he want us to wait until the Industry Bill becomes law, hoping that something might be derived from that?
§ Mr. ChatawayThe hon. Gentleman will have taken pleasure, with the rest of the House, in the fall in unemployment between April and May, which we expect to be sustained in the June figures. In the travel-to-work area which includes the Dearne Valley, industrial development certificates approved this year alone are expected by the applicants to give rise to over 1,700 jobs when the projects are complete and full manned.
§ Following is the information:
| INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATES APPROVED IN THE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AREAS OF MEXBOROUGH AND WOMBWELL1 | |||
| Estimated Additional Employment2 | |||
| Year | Number | Male | Female |
| 1968 | 8 | 80 | 60 |
| 1969 | 9 | 110 | 310 |
| 1970 | 6 | 170 | 490 |
| 1971 | 23 | ||
| January-May,1972 | 14 | ||
| Notes: | |||
| 1These employment exchange areas approximate to the Dearne Valley constituency. | |||
| 2Applicants' estimates of the additional employment expected to arise when the projects are complete and fully manned. | |||
| 3Details cannot be given because of the risk of disclosing information of individual schemes. | |||
| 4The I.D.C. exemption limits were raised in December, 1970, from 5,000 sq. ft. to 10,000 sq. ft. |