HC Deb 05 July 1982 vol 27 cc6-7
6. Mr. Roy Hughes

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were unemployed in Wales in June 1980 and 1982, respectively; and how many jobs have been created in the same period.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

Seasonally adjusted, and excluding school leavers, the figures were 96,100 and 162,000 respectively. It is not possible to provide comprehensive estimates of jobs created in both the public and private sectors.

Mr. Hughes

Does the Secretary of State recall that, following the British Steel Corporation's slimline operation at Llanwern, he promised on 1 April 1980 a package of aid to Newport that would provide 2,000 jobs? Is he aware that so far fewer than 1,000 of them have materialised? On the second stage of development that was also promised, the Secretary of State is showing all the eloquence of a Trappist monk. Is he aware that the people of Newport are fed up with the Government because jobs are not being provided, and that they want something more than fairy stories?

Mr. Edwards

The hon. Gentleman refers to fairy stories. Special funds amounting to about £59 million in cash terms have been made available for the Port Talbot and Llanwern areas under the special arrangements to which the hon. Gentleman referred. In the Llanwern area about 820,000 sq ft of factory space will be available by the end of this financial year, with about 682,000 sq ft within the Newport travel-to-work area. I do not consider those figures to be fairy stories. There is a continuing programme of development, and the Welsh Development Agency is continuing that programme in the current year. It will be spending £6 million or £7 million in the area this year on top of what has already been spent—and that does not include the contribution of the Cwmbran development corporation. The truth is that very few parts in the whole of Britain have received such substantial financial backing as the hon. Gentleman's constituency. It has received a great deal more than it ever received under a Labour Government.

Dr. Roger Thomas

Will the Minister comment on the Cinderella sector of employment in Wales—the construction industry—where one man is out of work for every two men in work? What effect does the Minister think this will have on the young trained people in the carpentry, plumbing and bricklaying trades in Wales?

Mr. Edwards

Clearly, the greater the industrial activity the better. I have no doubt that a great deal of employment is being provided by the construction programme to which I have just referred. The total construction programme now being undertaken by the Welsh Office, including the massive programme of hospital, road and factory building, is by far the largest capital programme ever to be undertaken in the Principality.

Mr. Alec Jones

As the Secretary of State is unable to provide the figures for the number of jobs created in the private and public sectors, will he confirm that the number of people in employment in Wales has fallen by 127,000 since he became Secretary of State for Wales? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that that figure confirms that the Government have destroyed more jobs in three years than were created during 21 years of regional policies under successive Governments? Since the right hon. Gentleman was so reticent about Nissan on an earlier question, will he now say whether he sees any prospect of Nissan coming to Wales?

Mr. Edwards

Representatives of the company are to visit this country later this month. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Industry was recently in Japan and had discussions with Nissan. He has no information to confirm the speculative press reports that Nissan has decided not to go ahead with the project. Discussions are continuing about the project, but it will be for the company to decide, in the light of its assessment, whether to go ahead and, if so, on what scale and at what location.