HC Deb 08 February 1983 vol 36 cc866-7
7. Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many, and what percentage, of the total unemployed in the northern region have been out of work for over a year and over two years respectively.

Mr. Alison

In October 1982, the latest date for which the information is available, the number of unemployed claimants in the northern region who had been unemployed for over 52 and up to 104 weeks was 44,038 or 19.6 per cent. of the total unemployed. The corresponding figures for those unemployed for over 104 weeks were 39,484 and 17.6 per cent.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

Are not those figures frightening? Is not the figure for the Workington travel-to-work area even worse, as 45.1 per cent.—nearly half of all male adult workers—have been out of work for more than 12 months? What hope can the Minister give them? Is it not grossly unfair that they should be required to live on supplemetary and unemployment benefit levels that are inadequate to keep them in reasonable conditions?

Mr. Alison

I agree with the hon. Gentleman that those figures are much too high. If simply spending money could bring them down, the £600 million that we have spent helping British Shipbuilders or the £80 million that we have put into section 7 help for the northern region would have done that already. What is needed is greater competitiveness in British industry and an upturn in world trade. We shall get them both.

Mr. Greenway

What help is the community programme giving to the long-term unemployed? Am I right in thinking that that programme has created many jobs for the long-term unemployed?

Mr. Alison

My hon. Friend is right to focus attention on the community programme. The northern region has already had a take-up of 1,000 places on the community programme. That is one of the best records in the country. I hope that there will be more to come.

Mr. Dormand

Is it not of the utmost significance that the percentage of unemployment in the northern region has been the highest, except for Northern Ireland, throughout the Government's period of office? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the Government's regional policies are an utter failure for the north? Will he promise to see his right hon. Friend, who has provided grossly misleading figures in his Green Paper for the contracting-out of the Durham miners, and undertake to carry out a for complete reappraisal of the Government's policies for the north?

Mr. Alison

The hon. Gentleman, who knows the northern region, particularly the north-east, extremely well and knows what has been happening there in recent years, will agree, if he reflects, that we have an extraordinary situation in which not only have the traditional industries continued to decline, but that even the most modern capital-intensive industries, such as textiles and chemicals on Teesside, have had to cut back because of the rise in the price of oil. Even ICI has had to cut back. We cannot win under modern conditions.

Mr. Radice

Has it ever occurred to the Minister that so many people out of work for such a long time is a waste of resources, extremely expensive to the Exchequer and morally unjustifiable, or do the Government share the view of The Times that little can be done, it does not matter anyway and we should all learn to accept mass unemployment?

Mr. Alison

I shall not join in the dispute between The Times leader writer and the hon. Gentleman. I read the correspondence with interest. I am convinced that if money could create jobs the Government would long since have spent money to create such jobs in the north-east. ICI is a good example. There is nothing that we can do to avert the drop in demand for the plastic that ICI makes. As I said, this is due to the rise in the price of oil.