§ Mr. Parry asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the latest unemployment figures for Merseyside.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison:At 8 October 1981 the provisional number registered as unemployed in the Merseyside special development area was 130,460. This includes school leavers and is not adjusted for seasonal variation.
The Government remain committed to doing all they can to help with the problems of Merseyside. The hon. Member will be aware that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has been asked by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to bring together and concentrate the activities of Government Departments in Merseyside, and to work with local government and the private sector to find ways of strengthening its economy and improving its environment.
211WIn addition, a special development area Merseyside will continue to benefit from the full range of regional incentives at the highest levels available in Great Britain. These, together with Liverpool's designation as an inner city partnership area, an enterprise zone at Speke, an urban development corporation based on the docks and our programme of special employment and training measures are proof of our determination to do all we can in the short term to help the area. However, in the longer term a lasting reduction in unemployment on Merseyside, as elsewhere in the country, will be attained only by the creation of a sound and competitive economy, which the Government's policies are designed to achieve.