Baroness VickersMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are satisfied with the numbers of small industrial workshops that have been constructed with the aid of tax allowances provided in the Finance Act 1980.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade (Lord Trefgarne)My Lords, as a result of the tax allowances provided in the Finance Act 1980 and other action taken by the Government, I am pleased to say that the availability of small industrial workshops is improving to meet continuing demand, and the number now being built is greater than for many years.
Baroness VickersMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that reply, may I ask him whether he can tell me how many people have been actually employed, men and women, and if some of the younger age groups, those coming from school, are getting jobs in that way?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, I am not certain that I follow the gist of my noble friend's supplementary question. I answered a Question about industrial workshops and not about the employment of anyone.
§ Lord JacquesMy Lords, may I ask the Minister how many workshops, if any, have been closed since the Government took office?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, the noble Lord will not be surprised to know that I do not have that figure in front of me, but the number now being built, as I said in my original Answer, is greater than for many years.
Lord SpensMy Lords, can the Minister tell us whether these small industrial workshops can be rented?
§ Lord TrefgarneIndeed, yes, my Lords; a number of them are being built for that purpose.
Viscount St. DavidsMy Lords, would the noble Lord not agree that this Question begins:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are satisfied"?On a philosophical point, is it ever the duty of any Government ever to be satisfied about anything, and can he therefore say that he is satisfied about this?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, that is an interesting question but it goes rather wide of what is on the Order Paper.
§ The Earl of LauderdaleMy Lords, would my noble friend not be willing to help the House in this respect? We should all like to know what is the employment content generated by these workshops, and if the Government are satisfied about them, presumably they are also satisfied about the increased employment.
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, if that was the gist of the supplementary question put by my friend Lady Vickers, then I apologise to her for not understanding the point she put to me. I cannot off-the-cuff, I am afraid, give the answer as to how many people are employed in these new workshops—not all of them are yet occupied—but I will see whether I can find a figure and provide it to both my noble friends.
§ Lord Cledwyn of PenrhosMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether these workshops are being built in the areas of highest unemployment? Is he aware that the unemployment situation throughout Wales is grave, and is becoming more serious month by month? If these workshops are indeed a success story, can he say how many of them are being built in Wales at the present time?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, a number of these new small workshops and factory premises are indeed being built in development areas, particularly those which are being financed by the English Industrial Estates Corporation, whose activities are generally confined to those areas.
§ The Earl of LauderdaleMy Lords, since my noble friend has been good enough to say that he will write to my noble friend Lady Vickers on the employment content of these workshops, can he not perhaps help us all by making that figure known, either in a Statement or by means of a press statement, or by putting it in the Library, so that we can all know what the figure is?
§ Lord TrefgarneIndeed, my Lords, I shall be very pleased to do that if I can find the information, as I am sure I can. If my noble friend would like to table a Question for Written Answer, for example, I would be happy to answer it.