HC Deb 17 November 1977 vol 939 cc358-9W
Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with progress in dealing with unemployment in the North-West.

Mr. Golding

No. We still have a long way to go in dealing with the problem of unemployment in the North-West. However, we would hope that the measures announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in recent months, including the allocation of £400 million to the construction industry, will have a beneficial effect on employment levels in both the North-West and the country as a whole. The region will also continue to benefit from the special employment measures which we have introduced and which have already helped over 138,000 persons in the region. It should also benefit from the measures which my right hon. Friend announced on 29th June, including the youth opportunities programme and the special temporary employment programme. The whole of the region has assisted area status and as such stands to gain, in the longer term, from the regional incentives available to firms expanding or moving there.

Finally, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry announced on 8th November, new regional initiatives are proposed for the National Enterprise Board. These initiatives, which the Government have warmly welcomed, include the establishment of a regional board based in Liverpool.