§ 13. Mr. John Townendasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will review the assisted area status of the Bridlington travel-to-work area.
§ Mr. TrippierNo, Sir. On present evidence there is no case for reconsidering the assisted area status of Bridlington, but I shall keep a close watch on developments in the area.
§ Mr. TownendI add my congratulations to my hon. Friend on his appointment. However, I am extremely disappointed by his reply. Is he aware that no fewer than seven special development areas and 36 development areas have lower unemployment than Bridlington, which is only an intermediate area? The nearby towns of Hull and Scunthorpe have a lower rate. Does he appreciate the bitterness felt in Bridlington about its unfair treatment, and will he seriously consider restoring the development area status that was removed by the Labour Government?
§ Mr. TrippierI thank my hon. Friend for his congratulations. It is well known that he is vociferous in his efforts on behalf of his constituents. I have already said in reply to an earlier question that absolute numbers for unemployment is not the sole criterion for judging whether an area should be assisted or upgraded. My hoe. Friend's constituency covers three travel-to-work areas — Bridlington, which is an intermediate area, part of Driffield, which is a non-assisted area, and part of Hull, which is a development area. My hon. Friend the Minister of State said earlier that a review was taking place at the moment, and I repeat that it is too early to speculate on the outcome of that review.