§ 27. Mr. Spriggsasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are suffering long-term unemployment in the St. Helens employment exchange area; what is the figure as a percentage of those out of work; how many of them are termed unemployable; whether retraining has begun at the Department's training centre; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithAt 5th April, 295 persons in the St. Helens Employment164W Exchange area had been registered as wholly unemployed for 12 months or more. This represents 14.4 per cent. of all those registered as wholly unemployed in the area. No one on the unemployed register is regarded as unemployable, but some may have considerable difficulty in obtaining or retaining employment. Training at the Government Training Centre in St. Helens is expected to start on 17th May.
§ 41. Mr. Spriggsasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of people now registered for employment in the St. Helens employment exchange area; what this figure represents as a percentage of the total employable population; how the latest unemployed returns compare with each of the previous five years; and what steps are being taken to counter the growing trend towards fewer job opportunities in the St. Helens area.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithAt 5th April, 2,084 persons were registered as unemployed in the St. Helens Employment Exchange area. This represents 3.6 per cent. of all employees in the area. The following table gives the corresponding information for the previous five years. The Government's national and regional policies are designed to secure conditions in which industry can expand.
UNEMPLOYMENT—ST. HELENS EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AREA Number Percentage rate April, 1966 … … 1,217 2.0 April, 1967 … … 1,599 2.8 April, 1968 … … 1,502 2.7 April, 1969 … … 1,228 2.1 April, 1970 … … 1,442 2.5