HC Deb 05 June 1984 vol 61 cc146-7
6. Mr. Jim Callaghan

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest number of people unemployed; and how many of these are over 50 years of age.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment (Mr. Alan Clark)

On 5 April, the latest date for which information by age is available, out of a total of 3,107,682 unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom, 575,243 were aged 50 years and over.

Mr. Callaghan

I thank the Minister for the figure he has just given, but is he aware that in my constituency there are two large industrial estates where the level of unemployment is 25 per cent., and that of those who are long-term unemployed a great number are over 50 years of age? An example is Mr. Williams, who came to see me on Saturday to tell me that despite being retrained on an MSC course he cannot get a job; everywhere he goes he is told, "Sony, you are too old." Does common humanity not demand that the Minister ought to increase the long-term rate of supplementary benefit for people like Mr. Williams?

Mr. Clark

I do not think the hon. Member is entirely right about the unemployment rate in his constituency, which is actually close to the national average. What is true is that the plight of unemployed persons over 50 is tragic. Yet I do not share the hon. Member's pessimism. I believe that they constitute a reservoir of talent and experience which will be of great value when demand picks up. As to his question about increasing supplementary benefit, as he well knows, this has been costed at £90 million. It is a matter of allocating and determining the priorities of resources. Tranches of £100 million at a time, however eloquent the special pleading, would put the general allocation of resources into disarray.

Mr. Bill Walker

Does my hon. Friend agree that many of the over 50-year-olds are out of work because of restrictive practices, high rates of inflation and strikes in steel, in transport, and in various other industries, particularly engineering, over many years? Does he agree that the coal strike will also result in redundancies and that, sadly, many 50-year-olds will not enjoy the substantial benefits which the miners will enjoy if they happen to find themselves out of work as a result of their own actions?

Mr. Clark

Yes; as my hon. Friend says, they are out of work through no fault of their own. This is what makes their plight particularly tragic.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

In so far as the over 50-year-olds can apply to the community programme, will the Minister give the House an assurance that his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is impressing upon the Treasury the need to ensure that next year moneys are made available for a dramatic increase in the number of places available under the community programme? Is he aware that we need many more community-based programmes next year, particularly in my constituency of Cumbria?

Mr. Clark

As the hon. Gentleman knows, the total amount of taxpayers' money devoted to special employment measures is nearly £2 billion. However eloquent the special pleading for particular programmes, he must appreciate that allocation of funds to the programme is determined as a whole. The community programme certainly performs a very useful function, but it would not be right for me to give the undertaking that the hon. Gentleman seeks.

Mr. Evans

Is the Minister aware that in the reservoir to which he referred many thousands of people over 50 are drowning in poverty and misery? Is he further aware that that group contains an enormous amount of skill and experience which an intelligent Government would use for the benefit of this country? Does he appreciate that those people are desperate for jobs and that it is time for a massive change of policy that would get them back to work?

Mr. Clark

I welcome the hon. Gentleman's contribution, which confirms my view that the over-50s group constitutes a substantial body of talent and experience. We hope that employers will reconsider their recruitment practices to take advantage of that group, which, as the hon. Gentleman rightly says, is one of the most valuable in the labour market.