§ Mr. Rowlandsasked the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment his Department has made of the number of jobs lost, and redundancies announced within Merthyr Tydfil borough since his announcement of the alteration of the borough's special development area status.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsPrecise information on the numbers of jobs lost is not available. Information derived from statutory notifications under the Employment Protection Act, since 17 July 1979, indicated 777 proposed redundancies—including 270 in the construction industry. Not all of these will necessarily take place.
§ Mr. Rowlandsasked the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment his Department has made of employment prospects in Merthyr Tydfil after the 121W downgrading of Merthyr Tydfil as a special development area in August of the current year.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsThe prospects for Merthyr Tydfil, as for other areas in Wales, will depend on the course of the national economy.