§ 5. Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many registered male employees there were in 1169 Wales in June 1955, June 1965 and June 1975.
§ Mr. John FraserAt June 1974, the latest date for which information is available, the estimated number of male employees in employment in Wales was 621,000. Precisely comparable figures are not available for the earlier dates due to discontinuities in the series, but approximate figures on the current basis would be about 700,000 in June 1955 and in June 1965.
§ Mr. EvansIs the Minister aware that the disastrous fall in the number of men employed in Wales over the period of which he speaks is certainly due not to current difficulties but rather to a deep and chronic malaise in the Welsh economy due to misgovernment over a long period of years? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that since the Government in London have been unable to provide work for Welshman in Wales, it is time they yielded government of Wales to the people of Wales?
§ Mr. FraserI do not agree with the hon. Member's premises. Total employment in Wales between 1955 and 1974 increased by 20,000. The diminution in traditional industries is in line with the movement of a similar kind through- out the rest of the United Kingdom and other industrial countries.
§ Mr. Roy HughesDoes my hon. Friend agree that investment is the key to future employment prospects in Wales and that in this respect the Industry Bill and the Welsh Development Agency (No. 2) Bill can play a fundamental rôle? Does he agree that private industry has been letting the nation down by failing to invest?
§ Mr. FraserMy hon. Friend is quite right. There is under-investment, and both these Bills should bring a great deal of benefit to Wales.
§ 7. Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest estimate of the number of employees in employment in Wales; and how this compares with the mid-year figure for 1972, 1973 and 1974.
§ Mr. John FraserThe latest available employment estimates relate to June 1170 1974, when there were 992,000 employees in employment in Wales compared with 1 million in June 1973 and 973,000 in June 1972.
§ Mr. WigleyIs the Minister aware that the drop between 1973 and 1974 is a direct reflection of the number of people who have had to leave Wales to look for work? That is a reflection of the increase in unemployment for men, the figure of which in respect of my constituency stood at 14.7 per cent. this spring. Is he aware that that situation is totally unsatisfactory? Will he give an assurance that the Government, in any economic package which they are now considering, will bring in no measures to worsen the unemployment situation in places such as Wales?
§ Mr. FraserI have already replied that the Government have as an objective of their policy the bringing of employment to Wales. Between 1972 and 1974 there was a growth in the number of jobs in Wales. The Welsh Development Agency, the doubling of the regional employment premium and the making of the whole of Wales an assisted area have helped employment there. That policy will continue.