§ 50. Mr. Blenkinsopasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many building trade workers are unemployed in South Shields and on Tyneside, showing the number of joiners separately; and what action is being taken to encourage local authorities and industry to advance the starting date for projects likely to provide employment.
§ Mr. DellAt 12th January, 1970, 398 persons who last worked in Construction—minimum list heading 500 of the Standard Industrial Classification—were registered as unemployed in the area covered by the South Shields Employment Exchange. They included 384 wholly unemployed men of whom 60 were carpenters or joiners. The corresponding figures for the whole of the Tyneside travel-to-work area were 5,576, 5,316 and 464, respectively. Decisions as to the starting dates for projects are essentially matters for local authorities and firms concerned, who no doubt consider the level of activity in the industry as one of many relevant factors.