§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he intends to take to help reduce the number of unemployed in the construction industry on Merseyside.
§ Mr. GoldingConstruction workers on Meryseyside, as in other parts of the country, should benefit from the £811 million of additional public expenditure which was allocated last year for construction projects for the period up to 1980 and from the additional public expenditure allocations in priority areas announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 11th April. These should provide a stable level of public sector demand for the construction industry which will help in restoring the industry's confidence.
Construction workers will also continue to be eligible to benefit from the Government's special employment measures.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the recently published figures for unemployment on Merseyside.
§ Mr. GoldingProvisional figures indicate that, on 13th April 1978, there were 83,772 persons unemployed in the Merseyside special development area. The unemployment rate for the area was 11.1 per cent.
The Government recognise that Merseyside continues to face very serious problems. In addition to the help which, as a special development area, it receives under the Government's regional policy, Merseyside will continue to benefit from the wide range of special employment measures which, so far, have helped about 45,000 people there. Further benefits, particularly for young people, should result in coming months from the youth opportunities programme and the special temporary employment programme and I would appeal to employers, local authorities and community groups to do all they can to help make these new programmes successful.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the 177W Official Report the number of workers unemployed on Merseyside in the construction industry at the latest available date; what this figure is as a percentage of all the unemployed on Merseyside; and how these figures compare with those for other special development areas.
§ Mr. GoldingFollowing is the information at 9th February 1978:
Special Development Areas Numbers registered as unemployed who last worked in construction industry Percentage of total registered unemployed in area Merseyside 12,304 14.4 North East 16,881 20.5 West Cumberland 727 15.0 North West Wales 1,286 20.5 South Wales 4,175 21.2 Girvan 75 12.9 Glenrothes 199 13.4 Leven and Methil 193 11.0 Livingston 307 18.2 West Central Scotland 17,398 17.0 Dundee and Arbroath 1,211 12.4