§ 105. Mr. Sydney Silvermanasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that a growing number of 28W mills in the Nelson and Colne constituency are closing down and that the growth of unemployment in the constituency over the past three months represents a rise of 109 per cent. compared with 71 per cent. for Great Britain; and what steps he is taking to arrest this deterioration.
§ Mr. JayI know that a number of mills in the area are closing down, some of them as a result of mergers and of the concentration of production in more efficient units. However, unemployment in Nelson and Colne is below the national average and in the circumstances I would not be justified in introducing special measures to provide additional employment in the area.