Youth Unemployment

HC Deb 26 March 1986 vol 94 cc930-1

1. Mr. Norman Hogg

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current level of youth unemployment in each of the Scottish new towns as compared with May 1979.

The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Malcolm Rifkind)

At 9 January 1986 the number of unemployed claimants under the age of 18 in wards roughly corresponding to each of the new towns was: Livingston, 399; Irvine, 474; East Kilbride, 360; Glenrothes, 264; Cumbernauld, 389. Comparable figures for 1979 are not available because the jobcentre areas used for the 1979 count included populous areas outside the new town boundaries.

Mr. Hogg

Will the Secretary of State improve his means of collecting such important statistics? Does he agree that youth unemployment, particularly in young communities, is tragic, as is, the loss of skills that results from such unemployment? Is there not a need for a special project to attract jobs into the new towns to cope with the critical state of youth unemployment?

Mr. Rifkind

We have improved the procedures. It is precisely for the reason that I gave that we cannot give the 1979 figures for new town unemployment, but can give the relevant figures today in the way that the hon. Gentleman has sought.

The hon. Gentleman will agree that the new town development corporations do an excellent job in attracting investment to their towns. Indeed, apart from the disappointing news about Burroughs, Cumbernauld has had good news about new jobs from British Oxygen Company, Isola and WKM Great Britain Ltd. Therefore he will appreciate that a considerable number of new jobs have been attracted to Cumbernauld under existing schemes.

Mr. Forth

Does not the problem of youth unemployment in new towns extend throughout the United Kingdom, and has there not always been a problem because we tend to develop and build and attract population to new towns in advance of our ability to attract jobs and industry? Therefore, are we not really looking for a United Kingdom answer to the problem? Perhaps we should be seeking a way to attract industry and business to all new towns throughout the United Kingdom in order to correct the imbalance that we have inadvertently created.

Mr. Rifkind

I take my hon. Friend's point, but it is probably unwise to make generalisations about the new towns. Each new town has to be considered in regard to its locality, the availability of employment in that locality and the particular regional or other circumstances which may make it either easier or more difficult to attract employment to that new town.

Mr. Lambie

From the figures given today by the Secretary of State, he will be aware that the problem of youth unemployment is greatest in Irvine new town. Will he come to Irvine and meet the officials and councillors of Cunninghame district council, who deal not only with the problem of youth unemployment but with that of adult unemployment because every third man in Irvine new town is unemployed? When is the Secretary of State coming to Irvine?

Mr. Rifkind

At the end of the youth training scheme 62 per cent. of youngsters go into either full-time employment or full-time further education. For the remainder, there are employment opportunities during the months thereafter.

The hon. Gentleman should draw attention to the good news for Irvine—for example, the decision of Beechams to create 150 new jobs over two years; Fullarton Fabrications which has created 100 new jobs at its plant in Irvine and Stevenston, and announcements by Volvo, Telex Computer Products, SCI (UK) Ltd. and other companies, all of which are either providing new jobs for Irvine or maintaining existing jobs.

Mr. Hamilton

Is the Secretary of State aware that as a result of the Government's new industrial and regional policy Glenrothes is the only new town in Scotland which is now without development area status? Consequently, the number of new inquiries about investment in Glenrothes has fallen. Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman meet the regional council—I wrote to him about a month ago, but have not yet had a reply—in order to discuss that and other matters relating to the Fife region?

Mr. Rifkind

I appreciate the hon. Gentleman's concern for Glenrothes new town. I am always prepared to hear about the problems of individual new towns. But there has also been some good news for Glenrothes during the past 12 months. For example, McBean and Gibson International has safeguarded more than 100 jobs by securing a major contract. Forth Tool and Valve Limited, a precision engineering company, is engaged in a £1.25 million expansion project. Coors Ceramics and Wimpey construction have each announced projects that will either create new jobs or safeguard existing ones. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman welcomes that.