HC Deb 28 July 1980 vol 989 cc1033-5
12. Mr. Anderson

asked the Secretary of State for Wales, in the light of the latest unemployment figures, to where he would advise Welsh workers to move to find jobs.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

I hope, to other jobs in Wales where the Government are making a major effort to provide new job opportunities.

Mr. Anderson

The Secretary of State must be aware that housing is a major obstacle to mobility. He must be further aware of the extreme sensitivity in Wales about that issue. As the Welsh people turn to him and to his Department for help with jobs, will he seek to restrain the heartless latter-day Marie Antoinette who is trying to close down Wales?

Mr. Edwards

The greatest single contribution that we can make to housing in relation to mobility is the sale of council houses. The legislation to make that possible will be finalised within days.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

As a Welshman driven out of Wales, may I ask the Secretary of State to put in the Official Report a detailed list of jobs that are vacant in Finchley, Lowestoft and other ministerial constituencies where Welsh coal miners and tin workers can find jobs? Is he aware that I have been looking for them in West Ham but that I cannot find any?

Mr. Edwards

The hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well that job opportunities are available in all parts of the country, including the South-East. People are taking jobs every day of the week. There is a large turnover within employment and the unemployment figures that are quoted, with a large number of people going into new jobs.

15. Mr. Hudson Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what are the latest unemployment figures for Wales; and what steps he proposes to take to reduce this level.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

Total unemployment was 116,839 on 10 July 1980. That figure will begin to come down when inflation is reduced and industrial competitiveness improves.

Mr. Hudson Davies

Will the Secretary of State bear in mind that one of the most effective actions that he could take to reduce the level of unemployment in Wales and the danger of further unemployment would be to lean upon the British Steel Corporation to change its purchasing policies on the importation of foreign coal? Will he take this opportunity to make up for the fact that he, no doubt inadvertently, failed to answer an earlier question, and now say whether he is aware of BSC negotiations for the formulation of new contracts to purchase more imported coal from America? Will he please give a straight answer?

Mr. Edwards

Negotiations are taking place between the BSC and the National Coal Board on those issues. Whatever solution is found between those two nationalised industries, it clearly cannot be in the interests of saving jobs in the steel industry if the BSC has to buy coal at uncompetitive prices. The greatest single destroyer of jobs is the fact that firms and industries are uncompetitive.

Mr. Abse

As the Prime Minister evidently takes the view that to reduce unemployment in Wales people should migrate, may I again ask the Secretary of State a straight question, to which I ask him to give a straight reply? Was he told about the change of policy advocating migration? When he appeared before the Select Committee, did he know that there was a change of policy? Was he told about the Prime Minister's declaration of policy?

Mr. Edwards

There has been no change of policy. Because there is no policy of migration, the other questions simply do not arise.