Statistics (Hansard, 17 July 1979)

§ 7. Mr. Canavan
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current rate of unemployment.

§ Mr. Prior
At 14 June, the unemployment rate in Great Britain was 5.4 per cent.

§ Mr. Canavan
Does the Minister admit that well over 100,000 jobs will be destroyed as a direct result of the regional development cuts, redundancies in steel and shipbuilding, and the emasculation of the National Enterprise Board and Scottish Development Agency? Is it not about time that the Minister got off his knees and started to fight unemployment, instead of genuflecting to the insane doctrines of the mad monk, who initially did not even have the guts to come to this House and meet Members of Parliament face to face?

§ Mr. Prior
No, Sir, I do not admit any such thing. I believe that the hon. Gentleman could do his constituents more of a service if he debated these matters seriously rather than make the kind of Pavlovian noises that we just heard.

§ Mr. Beith
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the unemployment rate in the Amble and Alnwick area of Northumberland is substantially above the national rate that he quoted and that this is not a special development area? Is there some process by which the Department can apprise the Development of Industry of unemployment black spots in order to get something done about the position?

§ Mr. Prior
Yes, Sir, I am in constant touch with my right hon. Friend to see that regional policy takes into account the problems of unemployment. The present problem of regional policy is that it seems to have been designed more to suit by-elections held during the lifetime of the Labour Government than to solve the serious problems of unemployment.

§ Dr. McDonald
Will the right hon. Gentleman give a categoric assurance to the House that he will not further increase unemployment by further reducing the job protection rights of employees beyond those already in the pipeline, and that he will neither reduce nor abolish the maternity leave provisions in the Employment Protection Act?

§ Mr. Prior
On the last point, the hon. Lady should wait until we produce our proposals for changes in the Employment Protection Act. I should have thought that that legislation was recognised by many employers, and indeed trade unionists, to be one of the greatest deterrents to full employment.