§ 5. Sir Anthony Meyerasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total number of registered unemployed in Wales at the latest available date; what was the number 12 months previously; and what are the corresponding figures for notified vacancies.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerUnemployed claimants in Wales totalled 157,779 in May 1987 and 179,200 in May 1986. The corresponding figures for vacancies notified to jobcentres and careers offices were 13,353 and 12,054.
§ Sir Anthony MeyerIs my right hon. Friend aware that, despite the routine demonstration that we have just had to endure from Plaid Cymru, there is a general welcome in Wales for his appointment and a feeling of great optimism that the successful policies of the Government, tempered by his individual approach in these matters, promise a great future for Wales, with jobs coming into Wales as a result of inward investment and jobs generated in Wales as a result of development and individual initiative?
§ Mr. WalkerThe support that has been given by the Government and local government in Wales for inward investment has been encouraging. In 1986 there was a new inward investment project every six working days, and so far this year there has been a new project every three and a half working days. Total inward investment last year amounted to £150,000 per working day, and so far this year it has amounted to some £850,000 per working clay.
§ Mr. AndersonWhat estimate has the Welsh Office made of the likely job losses when certain local government functions, such as school dinners, refuse collection and street cleaning are put out to tender? Will the right hon. Gentleman comment on the remarks made yesterday by his right hon. Friend the Member for Shropshire, North (Mr. Biffen), who said that had he been offered the Welsh Office it would have been an insult to Wales?
§ Mr. WalkerI am sure that my right hon. Friend the Member for Shropshire, North (Mr. Biffen) is quite 7 capable of speaking for himself on these matters. I can only say that it is a great privilege to be given this task and I hope that I can make some positive contribution.
As regards job losses due to work being put out to competitive tendering, I believe that any of us who are interested in seeing improved services, be they in health, education or anything else, want those tasks to be tackled as efficiently and as well as possible.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesIn contrast to the question put by my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd, North-West (Sir A. Meyer) does my right hon. Friend agree that the regularly negative approach to jobs and opportunities displayed by the Opposition is the prime reason why, last month, the people of Wales gave the Labour party its second worst election result since the war?
§ Mr. WalkerI can only say that on those matters, although there are many differences between the political parties, the task of attracting inward investment and getting new businesses under way is, I hope, supported by both sides of the House. I look forward to the collaboration of Socialist-controlled local authorities as well as Conservative local authorities in achieving those objectives.
§ Mr. Barry JonesIt falls to me to welcome the right hon. Gentleman to his office. It is one of the most important offices of state. It is an office of great and immense patronage and has major powers over our communities. The right hon. Gentleman is the seventh Secretary of State, albeit an Englishman.
We will always encourage the right hon. Gentleman to make efforts to find real jobs and to invest in our communities. The question is whether the right hon. Gentleman will make major changes in the Government's policy as it affects the Principality, because, at the general election, our people signalled their passionate desire to reverse the Prime Minister's policies. Indeed, there are now only eight Conservative Members representing Welsh constituencies. Does the right hon. Gentleman understand that we want real jobs for the army of Welsh unemployed? We want a much improved regional policy. We want a boost for the Welsh Development Agency and an urgent review of and fight against the great housing crisis that we now face. I warn the right hon. Gentleman that nothing less will do and that public opinion demands those changes in policy.
§ Mr. WalkerMay I first express my gratitude to the hon. Gentleman for welcoming me to my new position and for his good wishes. Obviously, we shall have major differences. As regards the areas that he has just mentioned, I have studied with keen interest the relative expenditure on house improvements during the period of this Conservative Government and their predecessor. I have discovered that substantial progress has been made in this area, and I am glad that further progress will be made in the future.
As to the analysis of the election results, I obviously deeply regret losing a number of colleagues from the Welsh seats—they were very fine colleagues at that. Our share of the vote was not all that dissimilar from the 1983 election, whereas I might say that the vote for those who demonstrated earlier — there was no reason for the demonstration — the vote for Plaid Cymru, as a proportion of the Welsh electorate, has gone down at every election since 1970.
§ Sir John Stradling ThomasWill my right hon. Friend be kind enough to convey the main thrust of his answers regarding inward investment to Mr. Arthur Scargill at Rothesay?
§ Mr. WalkerYes, Sir. I certainly hope that some of the major investment that will take place will not be handicapped by the actions of that gentleman.