§ Sir R. Thompsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is aware of the redundancy problem among engineering employees following recent works closures in Croydon; and what plans he has for providing alternative employment within the engineering industry.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkWhilst I am aware of a number of closures of engineering establishments in Croydon over the last six months I understand that good progress is being made in the redeployment of the redundant workpeople. I am keeping in touch with the situation.
§ Sir R. Thompsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many engineering workers were registered as unemployed in the Croydon area as at 31st January 1973; and what were the comparative figures for the preceding four years on the same date.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithThe following table shows the numbers of unemployed people in the Croydon employment exchange area who last worked in mechanical, instrument or electrical engineering—Orders VII, VIII and IX of the 1968 edition of the Standard Industrial Classification. The most recent information available relates to 8th January 1973.
8th January 1973 … … … 201 10th January 1972 … … … 447 11th January 1971 … … … 118 12th January 1970 … … … 121 13th January 1969 … … … 167* *Order VI of the 1958 edition of the Standard Industrial Classification.