§ Mr. Pentlandasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers have been declared redundant in the Chester-le-Street constituency area since July, 1970, to the latest available date, as a consequence of firms reducing their labour force; what are the reasons for such reductions; and what action he proposes to take in order to replace the workers affected.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithNot all redundancies are notified to my Department and it is not the practice to keep records of every minor redundancy. However, our records show that redundancies involving about 330 people have been declared in the Chester-le-Street constituency in the period 1st July, 1970–21st October, 1971. The reason given for these redundancies was slackening in demand for products in home and foreign markets. All the resources of my Department, including job teams, special canvassing for vacancies, and opportunities
250Wthey will produce more vacancies for disabled people.