HC Deb 11 October 1976 vol 917 cc46-7W
Mr. Moonman

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the total number of redundancies in Scotland as notified to his Department in 1975 and 1976 to the nearest available date; and what effect the devolution proposal for an Assembly in Edinburgh will have on the situation.

Mr. Golding

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the numbers of people in Scotland affected by redundancies voluntarily notified by employers to the Employment Service Agency in 1975 and in the period 1st January 1976 to 6th March 1976 were 30,800 and 7,300 respectively. Redundancies notified to the Secretary of State for Employment from 8th March 1976 to 30th September 1976 total 45,046.

Prior to 8th March the figures given refer to redundancies notified under the voluntary arrangements operated by the Employment Service Agency. From that date the notification requirements under Section 100 of the Employment Protection Act have been in force.

It is not proposed that the Scottish administration will have direct responsibility for employment matters and it is not possible at this stage to say what effect the transfer of responsibility for certain services will have on the notification of redundancies.

Mr. Moonman

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish figures showing, in each employment exchange area of Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, the number of construction workers currently unemployed; and what effect the devolution proposal for an Assembly in Edinburgh will have on the situation.

Mr. Golding

The following table shows the numbers of people registered as unemployed in the areas specified who last worked in the construction industry. The information is for 14th August, the most recent date for which an industrial analysis is available.

GLASGOW TRAVEL-TO-WORK AREA
Employment Office Area Numbers Unemployed
Barrhead 300
Bridgeton 507
Cambuslang 135
Clydebank 584
Easterhouse 1,237
Glasgow CEO 53
Glasgow South Side 1,062
Govan 460
Hillington 78
Kinning Park 164
Kirkintilloch 155
Maryhill 642
Parkhead 934
Partick 510
Rutherglen 631
Springburn 1,329

LANARKSHIRE
Employment Office Area Numbers Unemployed
Airdrie 562
Bellshill 216
Blantyre 126
Carluke 30
Coatbridge 481
East Kilbride 259
Hamilton 286
Lanark 87
Larkhall 145
Lesmahagow 67
Motherwell 246
Shotts 65
Uddingston 128
Wishaw 278

AYRSHIRE
Employment Office Area Numbers Unemployed
Ayr 586
Cumnock 191
Girvan 144
Irvine 363
Kilbirnie 105
Kilmarnock 392
Kilwinning 149
Largs 76
Newmilns 33
Saltcoats 677
Troon 49

It is not proposed that the Scottish administration will have direct responsibility for employment matters and it is not possible at this stage to say what effect the transfer of responsibility for certain services will have on levels of unemployment in Scotland.