§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the Under-Secretary of State's recent visit to Liverpool to discuss employment in inner city areas.
§ Mr. GoldingThe discussions that my ministerial colleagues and I held in Liverpool on 4th November with members of Liverpool City Council, Merseyside County Council and others were in connection with the partnership arrangements for Liverpool, as set out in the White Paper "Policy for the Inner Cities" (Cmnd. 6845). The White Paper emphasised the importance of strengthening the economies of inner areas so that suitable job opportunities are available to people living there. At this first meeting of the Liverpool Partnership Committee we set in hand work on a programme to identify the main problems of the inner area, including employment28W problems, and to recommend action on them. I hope that concerted action on the part of central and local government, as well as the enhanced resources for Liverpool under the urban programme which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has announced, will enable us to make a positive contribution to employment in inner Liverpool.