§ Mr. Hefferasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether his Department has any long-term plans for the Merseyside areas to regenerate employment in that area that has seen a spate of recent closures, including the threat of closure at the Lucas Aerospace Victor works.
§ Mr. ShoreAs my hon. Friend knows, policies for the regeneration of the economy of the special development area of Merseyside are principally the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry. I am of course chairman of the Liverpool Partnership Committee, which is tackling the especially severe problems of unemployment and other forms of social deprivation, that are to be found in the city's inner area. Through the partnership machinery, a number of helpful measures have already been taken. The local authorities and all the relevant Government Departments are now preparing a co-ordinated programme of measures to promote the area's economic revival.