§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many textile firms have closed or declared over 20 redundancies in Oldham since January 1979; what were the dates of these closures; how many workers were affected and how many of them were from the ethnic minorities; how many of these redundant workers were found other jobs, and how many of these were from the ethnic minorities; what is the average age of those made redundant; which types of textile workers have suffered the 237W greatest redundancies, as between weaving, ring spinning and other type of work; and what provision has been made for retraining, language classes, or other assistance to find jobs.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.