§ 99. Mr. Bodyasked the Minister of Labour whether he is satisfied that the employment exchange accommodation available in the new town areas is adequate for the volume of business developing in these areas; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Iain MacleodIn most new town areas, the existing employment exchange accommodation is adequate for present needs and anticipated developments. At Aycliffe and Harlow, however, the existing accommodation is hardly adequate. At the former additional space is likely to be available this year, and at Harlow a site for a new building has been obtained and the Ministry of Works hope to begin work on the building some time next year.
In addition, as stated by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Works yesterday, work on a new Crown building at Crawley which will include accommodation for an employment exchange is in hand, and the current building programme also includes proposals for meeting employment exchange needs in new Government buildings to be erected in new town areas at Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead and Stevenage.
§ 100. Mr. Bodyasked the Minister of Labour if he will give the percentage of unemployed workers in each of the new town areas in Great Britain, indicating those areas in which the unemployed rate is below the national average.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThe following is the table:
UNEMPLOYMENT IN AREAS SURROUNDING THE NEW TOWNS AT 17TH JUNE,1957 Local Office Percentage rate of employment Darlington (for Aycliffe) 0.9 Pitsea/Laindon/Canvey Island (for Basildon) 3.1 Bracknell/Wokingham 0.4 Corby 5.1 Crawley 0.9 Kilsyth (Cumbernauld) 1.8 Pontnewydd (Cwmbran) 1.1 *North Lanarkshire (including East Kilbride) 3.0 Kirkcaldy Group (including Leslie for Glenrothes) 1.5 Harlow 0.6 Hatfield 0.2 Hemel Hempstead 0.5 Horden (for Peterlee) 2.1 Stevenage 0.7 Welwyn Garden City 0.3 The percentage rate for Great Britain at the same date was 1.2 *There were 50 unemployed persons in East Kilbride itself.