Shelton Steel Works

HC Deb 06 July 1978 vol 953 cc261-3W

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to find alternative work in North Staffordshire for Shelton workers who become unemployed and for those in service industries affected by the closure of Shelton.

Mr. Golding

Regular meetings have been held between the British Steel Corporation and the Manpower Services Commission's employment and training services. The employment service has set up a mini-jobcentre on the Shelton site. It has also held a conference of about 50 local employers to encourage the provision of vacancies for those steelworkers made redundant, and this met with a positive response. A second meeting, which about 90 employers are expected to attend and in which I plan to take part, will take place on 18th July.

I understand that the BSC has interviewed the workers likely to be made

in full-time employment as notified to him from the employment areas in the Leek parliamentary constituency at the most recent count; and what were the comparable figures in 1970 and 1974.

Mr. Golding

Since 1971 information concerning full-time employment has been collected in the annual censuses of employment. The table below shows the numbers of employees in full-time employment in the employment office areas concerned for each year for which the information is available.

Corresponding figures are not available for 1974, due to difficulties which arose following the reorganisation of local government. Employment estimates for 1970 are based on counts of national insurance cards and do not distinguish between full-time and part-time employment.

redundant and has established that a number wish to be redeployed, some to retire early or to be retrained, some to find other local work, and others to become self-employed. The MSC will, of course, do everything it can to help the workers' requirements to be met.

The MSC's training services have arranged a visit of 300 BSC employees to Stoke skillcentre and so far 85 applications under the TOPS scheme have been received. The MSC hopes to be able to offer training places from August, and is also arranging to sponsor BSC supervisors on a course at a local college of further education designed to equip them for similar positions in other industries.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the increase in the number of men who will be unemployed in North Staffordshire when Shelton steel works closes, taking account of the effects on service industries.

Mr. Golding

It is not possible to estimate this. It will depend not only on the increasing prosperity of other industries in North Staffordshire but on individual decisions to be taken by those declared redundant.