§ 40. Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is satisfied with the steps taken by the Government to alleviate unemployment in the Northern Region.
§ Mr. GoldingI am satisfied that the Government's special employment measures which have so far benefited over 52,000 workers in Northern Region have provided valuable short-term help. These measures include the temporary employment subsidy, the job creation programme, the work experience programme, the youth employment subsidy, the job release scheme and the small firms employment subsidy.
The region should also benefit from the youth opportunities programme and the special temporary employment programme which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 29th June.
In addition, the allocation of an extra £400 million to the construction industry announced by the Chancellor on 26th October should further reduce unemployment in the region.