HC Deb 02 February 1981 vol 998 cc12-3
14. Mr. Ray Powell

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many former steel workers affected by demanning under the MacGregor plan are currently registered as unemployed in the Port Talbot travel-to-work area.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

I understand that redundancy notices issued on 24 January at the Port Talbot steelworks are expected to result in the loss of 630 jobs on 28 March, and that a small number of people have already left. I cannot, however, predict how many of these will register as unemployed in the travel-to-work area.

Mr. Powell

Is the Minister aware that since the Government came to office unemployment in the Port Talbot and Bridgend travel-to-work area has increased by well over 100 per cent.? The present position is that we have 11,531 unemployed, with an increase of 542 in the last month alone. That is 14.2 per cent. of the working population. A further 700 redundancies under the MacGregor plan will escalate the figure even further. What are the Minister and his Government doing to try to get industry into the Port Talbot area? Do they not accept that their policies are politically unacceptable and economically self-destructive? Why do not they change course now?

Mr. Edwards

I hope that, at least, the hon. Gentleman will recognise that Port Talbot, as a result of having made a success of Slimline, has been given a real opportunity to survive and to enlarge its operations in the future and that, once again, competitiveness among individual plants provides the best guarantee of future jobs.

Mr. Anderson

Do the figures that the Secretary of State has given include an anticipated portion of the 1,500 who may lose their jobs at the Velindre tinplate plant? Will the Secretary of State undertake personally to look at the job sharing scheme, which the workers at Velindre have put to the management, to see whether there is any way of providing Government assistance towards these work sharing proposals?

Mr. Edwards

I am aware of the proposals. I have asked the chairman of the BSC to let me know his response to those proposals, but it must remain for the BSC management to decide on the exact structure within the corporation.

Mr. Wigley

In view of the high unemployment in the area, will the Secretary of State speak to his colleague the Secretary of State for Energy about the possibility of going ahead with the Margam coal investment, which has been put on ice? Will he look particularly at the opportunities to export that coal to countries such as Spain, where a market may devlop over the next few years?

Mr. Edwards

Clearly, any possibilities that create future markets for the coal industry must be looked at very carefully. They will no doubt be assessed by the management and the board. I cannot give any indication that the Margam operation will go ahead.

Several Hon. Members rose—

Mr. Speaker

Order. Questions Nos. 15, 16 and 17 are wrongly placed on the Order Paper, due to human error. They should come at the end.

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