HC Deb 01 December 1992 vol 215 cc131-2
7. Mr. Hutton

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what policies she intends to pursue to reduce unemployment in Barrow and Furness.

Mr. McLoughlin

The Employment Service and Cumbria TEC deliver a wide range of employment, enterprise and training programmes to help unemployed people in Barrow and Furness find the best and quickest route back to employment.

Mr. Hutton

Is the Minister aware that my constituency has experienced the biggest increase in unemployment of any constituency in the north of England over the past two years? Unemployment has doubled during that period. Unemployment now affects every family and every part of my constituency.

Will the Minister give my constituents two assurances? First, will he increase the resources available to the Cumbria training and enterprise council this year, instead of imposing further cuts on it, so that young people especially can have access to quality training now that apprenticeships at VSEL have finished? Secondly, will he assure my constituents that he will place his Department at the front of a new and fresh initiative to secure jobs in my constituency by giving it assisted area status?

Mr. McLoughlin

As the hon. Gentleman knows, assisted area status is a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry. I am sure that he has made representations to my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.

We shall discuss with each TEC over the next few months the allocation of budgets. We shall, of course, want to look at the detail of what has happened in particular areas and at the training requirements that are necessary in each area.