§ Mr. Corbynasked the Secretary of State for Employment if Her Majesty's Government have prepared any estimate of the effects on local spending power of redundancies arising from the closure of the British Rail Engineering Ltd. workshops at Swindon; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyIt would not be possible to produce reliable estimates as there are too many uncertain factors involved. Much will depend on the success of efforts to attract new business and employment to the area. British Rail Engineering Ltd. has already made £1¼ available for this purpose in the form of grants and loan guarantees.