§ Mr. Symondsasked the Minister of Labour how many jobs will be available in the Whitehaven and Cleator Moor area by the end of February, 1968; and how many men he expects to place in employment out of those 700 men who will be made redundant by the closure of Harrington No. 10 Colliery.
§ Mr. FernyhoughAt the monthly count in January, 1968, 42 vacancies notified to the Whitehaven and Cleator Moor Employment Exchanges were unfilled. Approved new projects and expansion of existing enterprises should provide 500 additional jobs over the next few years, according to information provided by the developers. It is not possible to say how many of these or other jobs will materialise by the end of February.
Not all the men employed at Harrington No. 10 Colliery, of whom about a third live in the Whitehaven and Cleator Moor area, will be redundant when it closes. Some will be offered transfers to Collieries nearby and some will be retained in salvage work. The number of men discharged on closure may therefore be less than 400.
Over a period of time it should be possible to find employment for a fair proportion of those redundant but older and disabled men will be difficult to place locally in present circumstances. My 137W officers will do all they can to find alternative jobs for as many as possible and to offer training facilities to suitable applicants.