§ 16. Mr. Roy HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the latest unadjusted figures for unemployment in (a) Newport, (b) Gwent and (c) Wales; and if he will give the equivalent figures for 1979 on the next nearly comparable basis.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerOn 8 February 1990 the number of unemployment claimants in Newport district, Gwent and Wales were 4,673, 13,928 and 88,851 respectively. Unadjusted figures for 1979 are not available on a basis that enables a valid comparison to be made. I know that the hon. Gentleman will rejoice that there are now more people at work in Wales than ever before.
§ Mr. HughesWill the Secretary of State meet the miners' representatives when they visit the House this afternoon? Will he remember that there is not a single pit left in Gwent and only a handful left in Wales? Where are the new jobs to come from, bearing in mind the dramatic drop in manufacturing output and the fact that Germany and Japan are concentrating on investment in eastern Europe?
§ Mr. WalkerAs the hon. Gentleman knows, I have pleaded with him throughout my time as Secretary of State never to withdraw this question from the Order Paper. I hope that he will continue to table it. Perhaps he will reflect on the fact that following a decade in which 55,000 jobs were lost in coal and steel, we now have more people in work in Wales than at any time. Perhaps he will also reflect on the fact that in the last two years for which figures are available the number of self-employed people in Britain went up by 8.5 per cent. In Scotland it went up by 9.8 per cent. and in Wales by 28.6 per cent.