§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD JESSELMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government how many employees who have been declared redundant by the Standard Motor Company and the British Motor Corporation have found, or been offered alternative employment.]
THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTER OF DEFENCE (THE EARL OF GOSFORD)My Lords, about 8,300 workers have been discharged by the Standard Motor Company and the British Motor Corporation and of these 2,850 were registered as unemployed on July 16. The balance represents those who have been placed in or have found alternative work, or for various reasons have not sought the help of the employment exchange service.
§ LORD JESSELMy Lords, I thank the noble Earl for his Answer. I think the figures are encouraging, but I should like to ask him whether he could tell me the proportion of men who have found jobs 2 on their own and the proportion who have been placed by the Ministry of Labour.
THE EARL OF GOSFORDMy Lords, I can give the noble Lord only approximate figures. Of the 5,450 who were not registered as unemployed on July 16 approximately 1,000 have been found appointments by the Ministry of Labour. The others have not come forward, either because they have found employment on their own or because they do not wish further employment.
§ LORD JESSELMy Lords, I thank the noble Earl for his answer.
§ LORD BARNBYMy Lords, arising out of that reply and out of the information the noble Earl gave your Lordships last week:, and in view of the extremely serious and novel situation that is developing in the country, of a strike arising from the effects of the laying-off of hands as the result of shrinking demand for a product, would it not be possible for the noble Earl to say what proportion of those who have been, or are reputed to be, laid off in this present dispute were actually in the industry six months ago? I would remind your Lordships that the figures quoted were that over 100,000 had gone into the automotive industry and 35,000 hands had come out of the cotton textile industry. No action has been taken on the loss from the cotton textile industry, but apparently the Government are paying great attention to the dismissals from the automotive industry.
THE EARL OF GOSFORDMy Lords, I am afraid that I am unable to answer the noble Lord's question about the last six months. From what I can remember 3 of the Question I answered last week, out of 137,500 employees who were taken on in the engineering industry as a whole from December 31, 1954, to June 30, 1956, approximately 40,000 were taken on by the automotive industry. As I have already stated, the number of men who have been put off work by the automotive industry is 8,300.