§ 1. Mr. Dellasked the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what estimate he has made of the increase in the rate of national growth that would result if the percentage of unemployment in development areas were reduced to the current national average.
§ Mr. George BrownIn 1964 the unemployment rate in the Development Districts was 4.2 per cent. as compared with 1.7 per cent nationally. If unemployment in the Development Districts had been at 1.7 per cent., there would have been 86,400 more at work, which represents rather over a third of 1 per cent. of the total U.K. workforce. It would be reasonable to assume that the addition to national output would be about the same.