§ 16. Mr. James Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he can give the number of people who were made redundant by Ranco Motors Limited, Tannochside, Glasgow, who are still not in employment.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithAccording to the latest information available to my Department, four men and 35 women of the 445 workpeople who became redundant as a result of the closure of Ranco Motors Limited are still registered as unemployed.
§ Mr. HamiltonThe Minister will have got these figures from the Lanarkshire area, and I am sure he will agree that they do not take into account the number still unemployed in the Glasgow area. Is he aware that unemployment in Lanarkshire is still 5.5 per cent. and that, on that basis, it will be difficult for the people concerned to find other work which is suitable? Will the hon. Gentleman take up the matter with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, because this factory moved from my constituency to another development area, getting all the Government grants? If the Secretary of State is not prepared to do something about it, will the hon. Gentleman get his right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to do something about it?
§ Mr. SmithI read the hon. Gentleman's exchanges with my hon. Friend yesterday at Question Time, and I thought that the hon. Gentleman had adequate answers from my hon. Friend. I am concerned about the work aspect of the redundancies. Of the four men who are unemployed, two are registered disabled. I admit that there will be some difficulty in placing them. Most of the 35 women are married and want work in close proximity to their homes. I understand that there is a good chance of all of them being redeployed by the end of the summer.