§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the rate of unemployment in each of the areas which were granted special development area status recently.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithFollowing is the information:
Provisional percentage rates of unemployment at 8th March, 1971, for the Special Development Areas announced on 18th February, 1971. Northern Region Per cent. Hartlepool and Hartlepool Headland 7.3 Peterlee and Wingate 7.1 Tyneside 5.7 Wearside 6.9 Wales Aberdare and Mountain Ash 4.7 Merthyr Tydfil, Dowlais and Treharris. 5.8 Pontypridd, Pontyclun and Tony-refail*. 6.1 Scotland Dumbarton, Alexandria and Helens-burgh. 6.9 Greenock and Port Glasgow 14.3 Irvine, Dalry, Kilwinning and Saltcoats. 7.5 Paisley, Johnstone and Renfrew 4.6 Glasgow 6.3 North Lanarkshire 6.7 Kilsyth 15.2 Cumbernauld 5.9 * The rate is for Pontypridd, Ferndale Pontyclun, Tonypandy, Tonyrefail and Treorchy travel-to-work area. Ferndale, Tonypandy and Treorchy were on the original list of Special Development Areas. NOTE: Except for Kilsyth and Cumbernauld, the figures are for travel-to-work areas. Rates of unemployment can be calculated for the whole of a travel-to-work area but not separately for its constituent parts.