§ Mr. Edgeasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the economic strength of the West Midlands region and the Lancashire region at the present time.
§ Mr. HefferThe economic health of these regions depends to a large extent on the strength of the national economy, which the Government are keeping under close scrutiny. The latest provisional unemployment figures, which provide a good indication of the relative economic situation in the regions, show that the West Midlands Region has an unemployment rate of 1.9 per cent., the North-West Region 3.0 per cent. and the Merseyside development area 5.3 per cent., compared with an average rate for Great Britain of 2.3 per cent. These rates are not seasonally adjusted.