§ Mr. MacArthurasked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the unemployment that will result from the closure of the Royal Navy Stores Depot at Almond bank, Perthshire; when these jobs will be lost; what alternative new employment is expected to be available in Perth; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkI understand that, while 400 jobs will be lost as a result of this closure, a number of the workers affected will be transferred to other posts within the Ministry of Defence. The first redundancies are likely to occur at about the end of this year and the rundown of the labour force is expected to continue throughout 1973.
While it is not possible to make a precise estimate of the effects of unemployment, the phasing of the rundown over a long period and the considerable advance warning that has been given should do much to facilitate redeployment and all the resources of my Department will of course be available to assist. The total number of new jobs likely to arise in the Perth area depends upon various unforeseeable factors, but measures to help the economics of the development areas should benefit Perth.