§ Sir W. Darlingasked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the fact that on 15th October there were 42,903 unemployed in Scotland, what steps he proposes to take to implement the policy of full employment.
§ Sir S. CrippsWe are already actively implementing that part of the policy of full employment in Scotland which relates to industrial development. The steps we have taken include the provision of seven new trading estates and the building of new factories on the four existing estates. Building operations have already started on the New house estate in Lanarkshire, which is to cover 140 acres and will, when fully developed, provide factory employment for 10,000 people. In addition, privately financed factory building is being encouraged by the grant of early-building licences. By the end of October, a total of 79 new factory building schemes, including those on trading estates, to employ more than 16,000 people, had been approved, and many more were under consideration.
As a further contribution, eight Government-owned factories, surplus to munitions requirements, have been allocated for civilian production, in addition to two aircraft plants now engaged on the temporary housing programme. Four "standard" factories, to employ some 3,000 workers, have also been built in Scotland and allocated for civilian production. Although these developments are being pressed forward, it must be 2047W realised that temporary unemployment is inevitable during the period of the re conversion of existing factories to civilian production and the building of new premises.