§ Mr. Urwinasked the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has to stimulate employment in the constituency of Houghton-le-Spring and in the Northern Region.
Mr. Alan WilliamsI have been asked to reply.
Houghton-le-Spring is in the North-East Special Development Area, and manufacturing firms setting up or expanding there qualify for the highest level of regionally preferential assistance; moreover my Department accords a high priority in the steering of new projects 379W to the area. There are also grants to attract service industry jobs. The whole of the Northern Region is either a special development or a development area; the incentives to industry available include regional development grant, the regional employment premium, selective financial assistance and the provision of Government factories. The region also stands to benefit from the schemes we have introduced to encourage the modernisation and restructuring of specific industries and to bring forward investment in industry generally.
§ Mr. Urwinasked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the full extent of job loss in the constituency of Houghton-le-Spring, and in the Northern Region since January 1970.
§ Mr. GoldingI will reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.