§ Mr. Hefferasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will pay an official visit to Merseyside to discuss with the trade unions there, and other interested bodies, such as the Employers Association and local authorities, the problem of unemployment in the area; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table analysing the number of schemes submitted to the Job Creation Programme in Wales to date between those submitted by (a) county councils, (b) district councils, (c) community councils, (d) trades unions and (e) other bodies, indicating the number of man weeks work created for each category.
§ Mr. GoldingI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the information up to 8th June is as follows:
§ Mr. GoldingMy right hon. Friend has no plans at present to do so. My visit to Liverpool arranged for 23rd and 24th June had to be postponed because of the pressure of parliamentary business. However, I intend to visit Merseyside during July, and hope to discuss the local employment situation with trade unionists, employers, and local authorities.
Unemployment on Merseyside is currently at almost twice the national rate, and the Government regard the present level with grave concern. Although the additional resources announced on 5th May for the various schemes to alleviate unemployment can be expected to benefit the area, the Government accept that there is still a very long way to go before the employment problems of Merseyside are solved.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people were unemployed in Liverpool at the latest available date; and how these figures compare with the past two years.
§ Mr. John GrantAt January 1976, the latest date for which information is available, 14,575 unemployed young people under the age of 20 years were registered in the Liverpool travel-to-work area. Comparable figures are not available for January 1975 because of industrial action at local offices of the Employment Service Agency or for January 1974 when no count was made because of the energy crisis.
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§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the latest unemployment figures for Merseyside.
§ Mr. GoldingThe increase in the level of unemployment on Merseyside reflects the number of school leavers coming on to the register this month. There has been a slight decrease in the number of wholly unemployed on Merseyside, excluding school leavers. The Government accept that there is still a very long way to go towards solving the long-term employment problems of the area.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report details of his proposed official visit to Merseyside, and the expected date of his visit.
§ Mr. GoldingMy right hon. Friend has no plans at present to visit Merseyside. I had arranged to visit Merseyside on 23rd and 24th June, but the requirements of parliamentary business obliged me to postpone my visit. I hope to make the visit during July, but no detailed arrangements have yet been made.