§ 15. Mrs. Knightasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the trend in job vacancies.
§ Mr. TebbitUnfilled vacancies notified to jobcentres have been increasing since the middle of last year. In March, vacancies were 15,480—some 14 per cent. —higher than in the same month last year.
§ Mrs. KnightI thank my right hon. Friend for that satisfactory reply. How does that figure compare with the trend in job vacancies in some of our industrial competitor countries?
§ Mr. TebbitI am afraid that I do not have directly comparable figures. In many cases, such figures are not published. It is important that we consider what is happening in Britain. In Birmingham, for example, where rates are 12 per cent. lower this year, vacancies have increased by 44 per cent. in the past 12 months. In London, by contrast, where rates have increased by 150 per cent. in two years, vacancies have increased by only 1.5 per cent.
§ Mr. VarleyWhen will the level of unemployment return to that which the Government inherited on 4 May 1979?
§ Mr. TebbitI hope that that will happen during one of our future and many terms of office as a Conservative Government, and, above all, when industry becomes more competitive, can satisfy the needs of its customers and can take better advantage of, for example, the present record of retail sales.
In the first three months of this year, for the first time ever, we sold more than 500,000 cars in Britain. There is a boom in consumption throughout the economy and it is up to British industry to satisfy it.
§ Mr. VarleyWhy does not the Secretary of State say that he does not know? In the light of yesterday's report by the director general of the National Economic Development Office, is it not a fact that the Conservative party's campaign before the general election stated that unemployment would be reduced from the then "unacceptable" level, and was that not a campaign of sheer hypocrisy?
§ Mr. TebbitNo, Sir. If we had wanted a campaign of hypocrisy we would have used the right hon. Gentleman's election address. He knows perfectly well that unemployment has increased more in Germany, Norway and other countries since May 1979—
§ Mr. RadiceIt is a lie.
§ Mr. TebbitIt is no good the hon. Gentleman shouting "It is a lie." I am willing to publish the figures that show it is true.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Before I call anyone else, may I say that it is most unpleasant to hear the word "lie" in the Chamber. I hope that it will not be used again.
§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonWhat is the trend in job vacancies in the British construction industry, which is a good indicator of whether the economy is on the upturn?
§ Mr. TebbitThose figures are not available at present, but I shall send them to my hon. Friend. The important thing about the construction industry is that house starts and completions are booming this year, and the industry is well on the way to recovery.