§ Mr. Armstrongasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will authorise a winter programme of public works to enable local authorities to improve the infrastructure to ease unemployment in the Northern Region.
§ Mr. Graham PageThe Government announced on 27th October measures to help all the development areas, including wider use of the powers under the Local Employment Acts for grants towards the cost of providing basic infrastructure services on a continuing basis. We believe that this will prove of more lasting benefit to the development areas than expenditure limited to the winter months only.