§ 22. Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is satisfied with the general level of service provided by the health and social service boards in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. AlisonThe general level of service provided compares broadly with the level of service provided elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
During the current financial year the effect of cash limits has been to slow the planned development of services, but these have not been cut and, despite adverse economic pressures, have not even stood still. Site works for the new area hospital at Antrim have recently begun, a major extension of Altnagelvin hospital at Londonderry is in hand, and work on the new Belfast city hospital, which is at an advanced stage of construction, is continuing. In the community field, the current financial year should see the 279W completion of no fewer than seven old people's homes, two day centres, three children's homes, three health centres and a programme of planned development of services for the mentally handicapped is progressing. The ever-growing needs of an ageing population and of the mentally ill and the handicapped is generating increasing demands for services, but, as the Royal Commission on the National Health Service recognised, there is a limit to the resources the Government can devote to the public sector, including the health and personal social services. Until there is an upturn in the economy, growth of public services must be held in check. For this reason I wel-
Travel to work area Employment service office area Total unemployed as at 10 January 1980 Percentage unemployed Armagh … … … Armagh … … … 1,537 12.1 Ballymena … … … Antrim … … … 1,740 11. 3 Ballymena … … … 1,784 Magherafelt … … 1,830 Belfast … … … Bangor … … … 1,444 9.3 Belfast … … … 21,771 Carrickfergus … … 1,273 Larne … … … 1,050 Lisburn … … … 1,679 Newtownards … … 1,313 Coleraine … … … Ballymoney … … 1,469 13.9 Coleraine … … … 2,112 Cookstown … … … Cookstown … … 1,443 23.7 Craigavon … … … Banbridge … … … 865 10.0 Lurgan … … … 1,972 Portadown … … … 1,371 Downpatrick … … Ballynahinch … … 424 12.2 Downpatrick … … 702 Kilkeel … … … 486 Newcastle … … … 551 Dungannon … … Dungannon … … 2,335 21.5 Enniskillen … … … Enniskillen … … 2,498 15.4 Londonderry … … Limavady … … … 1,308 15.7 Londonderry … … 5,267 Newry … … … Newry … … … 3,988 21.3 Omagh … … … Omagh … … … 1,790 13.9 Strabane … … … Strabane … … … 2,180 23.6 Northern Ireland Totals … … … … 66,182 11.5 The Government remain committed to an industrial development policy aimed at encouraging the creation of new employment opportunities in Northern Ireland and offer a wide range of investment incentives supported by a comprehensive training programme. Some notable successes were achieved in attracting new investment in the past year.