§ Mr. LeightonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the level of unemployment in the Docklands urban development area as a percentage of the total London figure in each year since 1981; and what are the same calculations for the three Docklands boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Southwark.
§ Mr. CopeThe following information is also available from the Library. The table shows the annual average number of unemployed claimants in London docklands and the London boroughs of Newham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets for the years 1983 to 1988, in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the number of unemployed claimants in Greater London. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available on the same geographical basis. Comparisons are affected by changes in the coverage of the count.
§ Mr. CopeThe prospectus for training and enterprise councils was published on Friday 10 March. It is now for business leaders wishing to establish a TEC to come together and apply for development funding, and it is for the employers themselves to propose the area the TEC should cover, having consulted the regional director of the Training Agency.
Because of London's unique labour market, it is important that the development of the TEC network there should be considered very carefully, particularly in the 311W centre of London. I have therefore decided, in consultation with Brian Wolfson, chairman of the National Training Task Force, that a small temporary group of employers should look at the issues in London and report to the task force accordingly.
Allen Sheppard, chairman and chief executive of Grand Metropolitan plc and a member of the task force, has agreed to lead the group's discussions. Employers and others wishing to make their views known to the group should do so through the Training Agency's regional director for London, Mark Addison.