§ 25. Mr. Wyn Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Employment when he hopes to announce the promised alternative to regional employment premium.
§ Mr. GoldingNew selective industrial measures formed part of the December package which included the withdrawal of the regional employment premium. These included additional resources for the National Enterprise Board, the Scottish and Welsh Development Agencies, and £100 million for a new selective scheme. There will be £80 million for these measures and further sectoral schemes, and an extra £120 million for measures to reduce unemployment, in 1977–78 and 1978–79. Since then my right hon. Friends the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State have announced a further extension of measures to reduce unemployment and extra assistance for industrial training, including the extension of the temporary employment subsidy, the job creation programme and the work experience programme, the introduction of a new employment subsidy for small manufacturing firms, and the provision of additional funds to increase the number of awards and grants available for the long-term training of young people in industry. All these measures are likely to have a considerable impact for employment and industry in those areas which previously benefited from REP.