§ 10. Mr. Joseph Deanasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set out in the Official Report the unemployment statistics for the Leeds travel-to-work area for the past five years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaddingtonIn accordance with the hon. Member's request, the figures will be published in the Official Report.
In October 1982 the number of unemployed claimants in the Leeds travel-to-work area—from now on the count is based on claimants—was 41,381.
§ Mr. DeanIs the Minister aware that the Leeds travel-to-work area has a history of reasonable wage levels and good industrial relations, but that the figures show that unemployment in that area has more than doubled during the Government's period of office, although there are many industries there, because Leeds is not a single industry city? Will the Minister ask the Secretary of State for Industry to restore to Leeds the assisted area status that was stupidly removed in August this year?
§ Mr. WaddingtonI shall see that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is made aware of what the hon. Gentleman has said. I stress that the Government's task is to create the right environment in which firms can prosper. I remember that in April 1981, in an Adjournment debate, the hon. Gentleman complained of high interest rates. I am sure that he will wish to congratulate the Government on what has been achieved since then.
§ Mr. WoolmerIs the Minister aware that in recent months Morley and other towns on the edge of Leeds have been experiencing an increase in unemployment, not a fall or stabilisation, as Ministers continue to claim? Unemployment has more than trebled under the Government. Is the Minister further aware that that is a direct result of the devastation wreaked on our manufacturing industry by the economics of despair which the Minister and Treasury Ministers continue to inflict on this country?
§ Mr. WaddingtonI do not agree with that proposition. I know of the hon. Gentleman's interest in the textile industry. He will be aware, as I am, of the traumas suffered by the textile industry because of imports. He knows as well as I do that we are a major trading nation, 697 exporting one-third of our manufactured output, and that it would be dangerous for us to indulge in a protectionist war.
Following are the details:
Numbers registered as unemployed in the Leeds travel-to-work area at October in each of the past five years were Year Number 1978 18,034 1979 17,802 1980 28,628 1981 39,456 1982 45,101