HC Deb 27 January 1982 vol 16 cc871-3
3. Mr. Robert Hughes

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the level of unemployment in Scotland.

Mr. Younger

On 12 January 1982, seasonally adjusted unemployment in Scotland stood at 307, 900, or 13.6 per cent. The Government's main priority is to reduce inflation, which has been the main reason for the loss of markets and jobs.

Mr. Hughes

Does the Secretary of State realise that, as the unadjusted seasonal figure is 346, 500, the whole of Scotland will be outraged by his pallid apology and his abject failure to protect employment in Scotland? Will he stop acting like a quivering jellyfish? Will he show some courage, stand up to the Prime Minister, say that enough is enough and demand action to arrest this inexorable slide to total disaster?

Mr. Younger

I agree with the hon. Gentleman that unemployment is a matter of extreme concern to everyone in Scotland, including myself. The hon. Gentleman will be glad to note that his local area has an unemployment level of 7.1 per cent., which is approxiamately half the Scottish average. What I have to stand up against are policies which, over many years have weakened British industry and forced it to lose markets and jobs. That is what the Government are trying to reverse.

Mr. Maclennan

In regard to unemployment in the Moray Firth area caused by the closure of the Invergordon smelter, I recognise that the Secretary of State may not wish openly to indicate the precise terms that would be acceptable to the Government for an incoming operator, but has the right hon. Gentleman empowered the Highlands and Islands Development Board, in its approaches to companies, to be completely open-ended about the terms that can be offered relating to power and the acquisition of the site and plant?

Mr. Younger

I am not sure what the hon. Gentleman means by "open-ended". I assure him that the Highlands and Islands Development Board, in conjunction with the Scottish Office, has been encouraged to do everything that it can to find another operator and to discuss with such an operator a power contract on the best terms that can be achieved. The same applies to the acquisition of the site. The Government are pressing ahead with the board as strongly as possible on these points.

Mr. Ancram

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that there is some hope for Scotland, in that the seasonally adjusted figures show a rate of increase in Scotland of only about half the rate of increase for the rest of the United Kingdom? Does he accept that there is genuine concern on the Conservative Benches about the human problems encompassed by unemployment, in sharp contrast to the largely synthetic and politically motivated protests by Opposition Members?

Mr. Younger

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his remarks. I repeat that no one in any party in Scotland can be anything but extremely concerned about the level of unemployment. My hon. Friend is right to contrast the present situation with what has prevailed throughout my lifetime. The whole of Britain has suffered severely, but on this occasion Scotland has not suffered so severely as the rest of the United Kingdom. That indicates some recovery in the relative position of Scotland, and that we must work upon.

Mr. Millan

Is the Secretary of State saying that a record figure of unemployment in Scotland of 347, 000 demonstrates that Scotland is not suffering severely under the present Government? Does he not appreciate the wave of anger and bitterness that swept Scotland following yesterday's figures—a bitterness that was added to by his pathetic attempt yesterday, as on earlier occasions, to pretend that things are getting better when they are obviously continuing to worsen? Does he realise that the need now is not for tiny doses of reflation but for massive reflation in terms of help to industry and public expenditure if we are to get people back to work? The sooner this happens the better. Otherwise, he does not deserve to be in office.

Mr. Younger

The right hon. Gentleman has invented his own version of what I said a few moments ago. That version bears no relation to what I actually said. If the right hon. Gentleman has not yet appreciated the real reason for the rise in unemployment, he occupies a much stranger position than I thought. He should know that the real reason is that too many of our companies and firms have lost markets through being uncompetitive. The Government are working successfully towards reversing that situation. That has been needed for many years.