§ 7. Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are unemployed in the city of Leicester; and how many and what percentage of them are under the age of 25 years and over 50 years, respectively.
§ Mr. AlisonOn 14 January the provisional total number of people registered as unemployed in the Leicester employment office area was 23,700. Of those, 9,129–39 per cent. — were under 25 years of age and 4,505–19 per cent.—were aged 50 years and over.
§ Mr. JannerIs the Minister aware that those shocking figures show that there are now two lost generations in the once prosperous city of Leicester? I refer to the young people who leave school and emerge from youth training, but who never get jobs, and the older people who have been made redundant and who feel that they will never find work again. Without forgetting the in-between generation, what will the Minister do to help those most vulnerable to the present, terrible misery?
§ Mr. AlisonI agree with the hon. and learned Gentleman that the figures are terrible. I personally regard every individual who loses a job as having an experience that is equivalent to bereavement, although, mercifully, in many cases it is reversible. However, the hon. and learned Gentleman will have heard that a number of special measures have been introduced, particularly to help the young unemployed, as well as a number of other special measures to help people over the age of 60.