HC Deb 27 March 1946 vol 421 cc50-1W
Sir W. Darling

asked the Minister of Labour if, in view of the fact that at 14th January, 1946, the total unemployed in Scotland was 63,681, he will state the industries and areas in which they occurred; and what steps are proposed to enable Scottish enterprise to further full employment.

Mr. Isaacs:

The Tables below give the information asked for in the first part of the Question:

Numbers of insured persons suitable for ordinary employment, registered as unemployed in Scotland at 14th January, 1946, distinguishing the principal industries.
Industry. Number of insured persons unemployed
Building 1,462
Civil Engineering Construction 1,666
Shipbuilding and ship repairing 3,005
Engineering, etc. 9,812
Motor Vehicles, Cycles and Aircraft. 4,137
Explosives 4,253
Steel Melting and Iron Puddling, Iron and Steel Rolling, etc. 1,260
Hotel, Boarding House, Restaurant, Club, Catering, etc. Service 1,832
Tramway and Omnibus Service 860
Fishing 821
Shipping Service 828
Coalmining 2,150
Distributive Trades 4,749
National Government Service 3,738
Local Government Service 1,594
Agriculture, Horticulture, etc. 866
All Other Industries and Services 14,002
Ex-Service Personnel not classified by industry*. 6,646

*These are ex-service personnel who at July,1945 had not been classified to a particular industry. They may have had some employment since release or discharge from the Forces.

Numbers of insured persons suitable for ordinary employment, registered as unemployed at Employment Exchanges in the principal towns in Scotland at 14th January, 1946.
Town Number o insured persons unemployed.
Aberdeen 1,695
Airdrie 1,361
Ayr 754
Bathgate 531
Cambuslang 475
Clydebank 932
Coatbridge 1,881
Cowdenbeath 610
Dumbarton 680
Dundee 2,892
Edinburgh 2,837
Falkirk 1,318
Glasgow (including Rutherglen) 18,985
Greenock 1,981
Hamilton 1,865
Irvine 665
Johnstone 590
Kilmarnock 1,321
Kirkcaldy 409
Leven and Methil 752
Motherwell and Wishaw 2,979
New Milns 409
Paisley 1,549
Peterhead 435
Port Glasgow 500
Shotts 437
Stevenston 440
Stornoway 1,552
Uddingston 407
Wick 589
Rest of Scotland 11,850

As to the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, to his Question on 3rd December last year. Since then approval has been given to a further 75 industrial building projects which will employ an additional 10,000 persons in Scotland. I would also refer the hon. Member to an article which appeared in the Board of Trade Journal, dated 16th February, outlining the industrial developments that are taking place in Scotland. Scottish industrialists have equal opportunities with others to display their enterprise and I hope that they will avail themselves of the facilities provided under the Distribution of Industry Act, 1945, to expand existing undertakings and introduce new industrial units in Scotland.