§ 50. Mr. Awberyasked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that 2.4 per cent. of the workers in the south-west region are unemployed, and that this is .4 per cent. above the national average; and what steps are being taken to deal with the position, particularly in the ship-repairing, aircraft and building industries in this region.
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§ Mr. Iain MacleodYes, but the regional rate of unemployment conceals wide variations between areas with unemployment well below the national average and those with high unemployment, much of it seasonal, particularly in coastal resorts. In the three industries to which the hon. Member refers unemployment is not higher than in the country as a whole, with the exception of ship-repairing at Falmouth. I am in touch with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on the needs of those areas which suffer from heavy unemployment.