§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland why it is his policy to allocate money for winter relief of unemployment.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellWhat I have done is to bring forward essential work because it seems sensible that this work should so far as possible be undertaken when unemployment is seasonally highest.
190W
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State (1) if, in view of the unemployment figures announced on 21st January, he will now reconsider previous requests from the hon. Member for South Ayrshire to have no less than an additional allocation of £10 million for winter relief of unemployment;
(2) if he will request every county council and large burgh in Scotland to submit to him a list of public works which they will be able to undertake within the next two months, and which will create new jobs; and if he will sanction such works and provide the necessary finance within a total of £15 million;
(3) if he will request each regional hospital board to submit to him a list of works which they will be able to undertake within the next two months, and which will create new jobs; and if he will sanction such works and provide the necessary finance within a total of £5 million.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellNo significant reduction in unemployment during the present winter could be achieved by authorising expenditure not already committed by now. To invite spending authorities at this stage to identify additional work which they could start before the end of March would merely divert effort from the preparation of projects already planned to start in this financial year and the next.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the concern about Scottish unemployment, he will make a Ministerial broadcast explaining the action the Government intends taking to reduce unemployment.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI have already explained on television the measures which we are taking to deal with the problems which were clearly emerging before we took office.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will identify the sectors of employment in which he estimates there will be a substantial reduction in the labour force over the next five years; and if he will give, in each case, the current labour force, and the anticipated job loss over the period specified;
191W(2) what estimates he has made of the possible total job loss to Scotland in the period 1971 to 1976 due to increasing technological improvements in industry; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellAs a result of a variety of factors including technological improvement and changing conditions, there have been significant reductions in recent years in the numbers employed in certain industries such as shipbuilding, coal mining, heavy engineering, agriculture, textiles and transport. It is expected that the numbers employed in certain of these sectors will continue to decline. Estimate of job losses in the future must be speculative and neither my right hon. Friends who have responsibilities in this field nor I consider that any useful purpose would be served by publishing forecasts for the next five years.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the reduction in unemployment which will be achieved by the Government undertaking a public works programme involving expenditure additional to the current allocation by the following amounts, £10 million, £15 million and £19 million, repectively.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellThis would depend on the nature of the works and the period over which these were undertaken.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the amount of money recently allocated to the Western Regional Hospital Board for winter relief of unemployment, and show how this compares with the previous four years.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI have authorised the Board to bring forward to this winter essential works estimated to cost £85,000. In 1967–68, 1968-69 and 1969–70 the Board undertook programmes of special winter works costing £550,000, £170,000 and £482,000. There were no such programmes in earlier years.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, before deciding the amount of money to be allocated for winter relief of unemployment, he will assess the estimated level of unemployment during the winter months; and at 192W what time in the year such an assessment is made.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellMy decision to authorise a programme of accelerated essential works was taken on the information available from the third quarter of 1970, which gave some indication of the level of unemployment which might be expected during the coming winter.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure that Scottish unemployment will be reduced below the December. 1970, total in the current year.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellThe Government's general economic policy and new investment incentives are designed to remedy the stagnating economic situation and increasing unemployment which we inherited and to produce an economic climate in which industrial growth and new development will be stimulated in Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole.