§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the percentage increase in Scottish youth unemployment since March 1974.
§ Mr. Gregor MacKenzieI have been asked to reply.
About 300 per cent.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of unemployed school leavers in the special development areas in Scotland.
§ Mr. Gregor MacKenzieI have been asked to reply.
About 6,800.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is able to identify the employment sectors in Scotland where there is currently a shortage of skilled labour.
§ Mr. Gregor MacKenzieI have been asked to reply.
There are no employment sectors in Scotland where there is currently a general shortage of skilled labour. Local shortages in specific skills arise from time to time; close and regular contact between my Department and the MSC and its agencies on the one hand and industry on 427W the other ensures that such shortages are identified at an early stage and appropriate steps taken to alleviate them.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the number of school leavers still without full-time employment in each Scottish region; if he will show the total number of job vacancies available; and if he will indicate how many of these young people are currently engaged in job creation or work experience schemes.
§ Mr. Gregor MacKenzieI have been asked to reply.
Region School leavers registered as unemployed at 10th November 1977 Unfilled vacancies at 4th October 1977 Job creation at October 1977 Work experience at October 1977 (1) (2) (3) (4) Borders … … … 46 33 5 20 Central … … … 467 61 79 227 Dumfries and Galloway … 141 8 107 289 Fife … … … 239 37 311 397 Grampian … … … 149 131 34 64 Highland … … … 217 82 106 135 Lothian … … … 861 100 290 288 Strathclyde … … … 6,785 180 1,039 1,172 Tayside … … … 503 97 162 156 Orkney Islands … … 14 11 — 1 Shetland Islands … … — 52 — — Western Isles … … … 13 3 68 15 9,435 795 2,201 2,764