Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the number of jobs required in the North-East Region in order to bring down the percentage of unemployed to the national average.
§ Mr. DarlingI am well aware of the needs of the North-East Region and every effort is being made to encourage the creation of additional employment. Estimates of the kind indicated, even if they could be reliably made in a constantly changing employment situation, would not enable me to do more.