§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the recent unemployment figures for Merseyside and how these compare with May 1979.
§ Mr. Jim LesterAt 10 July 1980 the provisional number registered as unemployed in the Merseyside special development area was 107,534 compared with 83,371 at 10 May 1979. Both figures include school leavers and are not adjusted for seasonal variation. The July 1980 figure includes a higher proportion of school leavers than the May 1979 total.
I am naturally concerned about serious unemployment on Merseyside. Until inflation is brought down increases in unemployment levels are inevitable. In the meantime, Merseyside is retaining its special development area status so that employers setting up there and creating new jobs will be entitled to the highest level of assistance available under the Industry Act.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the last number of unemployed school leavers in the Liverpool travel-to-work area; and what are the figures as a percentage.
July 1980 (provisional) May 1979 Liverpool travel-to-work area At employment offices … … … … … … … 1,214 2,406 At careers offices … … … … … … … 6 71 Merseyside Special Development Area At employment offices … … … … … … … 1,994 4,019 At careers offices … … … … … … … 44 152
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number of unemployed young people on Merseyside at the latest date; and what these figures are as a percentage of the total.
§ Mr. Jim LesterAt 10 July the provisional number of young people under 20 years of age registered as unemployed in the Merseyside special development area was 30,549. This figure represented 28–4 per cent. of the total unemployed in the area.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many construction workers are registered as unemployed.
458W
§ Mr. Jim LesterAt 10 July the provisional number of school leavers under 18 years of age registered as unemployed in the Liverpool travel-to-work area was 8,954, representing 12–7 per cent. of the total unemployed in the area.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what are the numbers of job vacancies for unemployed school leavers in (a) the Liverpool travel-to-work area and (b) Merseyside at the latest date;
(2) what are the total numbers of job vacancies on (a) Merseyside and (b) the Liverpool travel-to-work area at the latest date; and how these figures compare with May 1979.
§ Mr. Jim LesterThe following table gives the numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled at employment offices and careers offices in the Liverpool travel-to-work area and in the Merseyside special development area at 4 July 1980 and 4 May 1979. The statistics do not distinguish vacancies which are specifically for school leavers. Vacancies notified to employment offices are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the country as a whole. Because of possible duplication the figures for employment offices and careers offices should not be added together.
employed on Merseyside at the latest available date; and how these compare with May 1979.
§ Mr. Jim LesterAt 8 May 1980, the latest date for which an industrial analysis of the unemployed is available, the number of people registered as unemployed in the Merseyside special development area who last worked in the construction industry was 12,440. The corresponding figure at 10 May 1979 was 10,781.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies have taken place on Merseyside since May 1979; and if he will list them in the industries concerned.
459W
§ Mr. Jim LesterThe information in the form requested is not available. However, I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that 325 separate instances of redundancies involving 10 or more workers were notified as due to occur in Merseyside between June 1979 and June 1980. The total number of workers affected was 16,987. To analyse the information by industry could be done only at disproportionate public expense.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans the Government have to seek to reduce unemployment in the construction industry on Merseyside; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Jim LesterIn the longer term the measures we are taking to stimulate the economy offer the best hope for improving employment prospects in construction, as in other industries.
More immediately, prospects will depend on the industry's response to the various measures the Government is taking to facilitate development. These include:
plans to regulate local authority direct labour organisations to restrict unfair competition from the public sector;
increased land availability;
streamlining of planning and building control procedures;
measures to promote home ownership.
Special Development Area Numbers unemployed in construction Percentage of total unemployed Falmouth and Redruth … … … … … 444 10.9 Merseyside … … … … … 12,440 13.6 North-East … … … … … 15,261 18.0 West Cumberland … … … … … 634 12.9 North-East Wales … … … … … 1,249 10.1 North-West Wales … … … … … 1,142 20.9 South Wales … … … … … 3,942 16.2