HC Deb 15 February 1982 vol 18 cc7-8
6. Mr. Denzil Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total increase since May 1979 in unemployment in the Llanelli employment area in percentage and numerical terms.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

Between May 1979 and January 1982 unemployment in the Llanelli travel-to-work area increased by 4,018 or by 163.3 per cent.

Mr. Davies

Is the Secretary of State aware that those figures show how far the Government's policies have almost destroyed the industrial base of the Llanelli constituency? Is he further aware that the Manpower Services Commission is proposing to make matters worse by closing the Llanelli skillcentre? Will he make it clear to the new chairman of the Manpower Services Commission, who I believe held the distinguished post of political adviser to the former Secretary of State for Industry, that the closure of the Llanelli skillcentre is unacceptable and intolerable?

Mr. Edwards

I am very concerned about the position in Llanelli and the sharp increase in unemployment, which was especially influenced by the Duport Steelworks Ltd. closure. That is why I announced a factory programme in the area that will cost about £8.5 million. I have also provided finance to accelerate the vital road link to the M4.

As the right hon. Gentleman knows, the Manpower Services Commission is now consulting about the future of the skillcentre and the form that arrangements may take. I discussed the matter frequently with the present chairman and I shall do so again with the new chairman at the earliest opportunity. I understand the important work that the centre has done for many years. I could hardly fail to do so, as I am a Member of Parliament for a west Wales constituency and many of my constituents have used the centre.

Dr. Roger Thomas

Did the Secretary of State find time yesterday to read, in the central part of the business section of The Sunday Times, that industrial production in Britain had already peaked last autumn? What effect will that have upon unemployment in Llanelli in 1982?

Mr. Edwards

I did not have the pleasure of reading The Sunday Times at the weekend. Even if I had, I am not sure that I would necessarily have accepted its conclusion. I am more influenced by the increasing evidence of a sharp rise in the number of inquiries, the allocations of factories and the general investment in new projects in Wales.

Mr. Alec Jones

Does the Secretary of State appreciate that the Llanelli skillcentre may be one of the few matters on which Welsh Members on both sides of the House agree? Is he aware that it must be nonsense to consider closing the skillcentre —which was saved in 1980 when there were about 3,000 unemployed—when now there are 6,478 unemployed? I hope that the Secretary of State will do more than discuss the matter with the Manpower Services Commission—that he will do his best to lean heavily on it to keep the skillcentre open.

Mr. Edwards

As the right hon. Gentleman knows, I made those points to the chairman in 1980 when the Manpower Services Commission first made the proposal and asked him to consider carefully the future of the centre. On that basis, the MSC decided to reconsider and review the position and consult after an interval. That is what it is now doing. It is important that that consultation should go forward, not just so that views such as those expressed by the right hon. Gentleman are clearly on the record, but that the proper use of the centre can be considered if there is a future for it. Those issues are being considered by the MSC now. I shall draw to the attention of the chairman and the new chairman the points made by right hon. and hon. Members in the House.