§ 32 and 33. Mr. Pentlandasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) in view of the fact that the rate of new industrial building, covered by industrial development certificates issued during 1960, was 10.9 million square feet in the Midland Region and 6.6 million square feet in the Southern Region, as against 4.2 million square feet in the Northern Region, what further policies he has in mind to bring about a more equal distribution of industry in the country;
(2) in view of the fact that the rate of new industrial building, covered by industrial development certificates issued to the end of March, 1961, was 1.3 million square feet in the Midland Region and 1.2 million square feet in the Southern Region, as against 1.0 million square feet in the Northern Region, what improvement he expects to take place throughout the rest of 1961 in the rate of new industrial building in the Northern Region.
§ Mr. MaudlingI am satisfied that the policies embodied in the Local Employ104W ment Act, 1960, are already securing a more equal distribution of industry. The proportion of potential jobs to be created by new industrial building in the development districts was 39 per cent. of the Great Britain total in 1960 compared with 14 per cent. for the same areas in 1958. In the Northern Region, new industrial building is expected to provide about 15,000 jobs, 10,000 of them in development districts, though only a fraction of these will accrue in 1961.