§ Sir H. Legge-Bourkeasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he now proposes to make any changes in the list of development districts for which assistance under the Local Employment Act, 1960, is available.
§ Mr. MaudlingI am proposing forthwith to add two small places to the list. They are Haswell in County Durham and Prudhoe in Northumberland. Both are heavily dependent on coal-mining. In Haswell a high rate of unemployment already exists, and in Prudhoe it is threatened by the impending closure of the West Wylam Colliery. I hope that this action will help to secure new industry for these places.
I am not at present deleting any districts from the list, but in view of the encouraging progress that is being achieved there are a number of places which I shall be able to de-list in the near future if applications for assistance at present under consideration succeed. Meanwhile, to avoid further applications being frustrated and to concentrate our efforts on the remaining development districts and on Northern Ireland, I have decided that I should not be justified in 261W accepting any more applications from the following places:—
In England: Blackpool, the Isle of Thanet, Whitehaven (including Cleator Moor), and the Isle of Wight.
In Wales: Rhyl.
In Scotland: Bathgate (including Broxburn and the Calders).