§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total of young unemployed on Merseyside at the most recent date.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonAt 9 April, the latest date for which information is available, there were 19,290 young people under 20 years of age registered as unemployed in the Merseyside special development area. The hon. Member will know from the statement by my right hen. Friend the Prime Minister on 27 July—[Vol. 9, c. 834–7]—that the Government have reaffirmed their undertakings given to the young unemployed to help them with work experience and training through the youth opportunities programme both for 1981–82 and 1982–83.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the latest unemployment figures for Merseyside.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe Government are deeply concerned at the continuing high levels of unemployment on Merseyside. But a reduction in unemployment on Merseyside, as in the country as a whole, will largely depend on the ability of our firms to produce goods which people want to buy. The Government's policies aim to produce the conditions which will help our firms become competitive and so enable them to create the jobs we all want to see.
Meanwhile our programme of special employment and training measures, including those just announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, will provide assistance to many workers. In addition, as a special development area Merseyside will continue to benefit from the full range of regional incentives at the highest levels available in Great Britain. Liverpool is already an inner city partnership area, and has an urban development corporation based on the Merseyside docks area. There will also be an enterprise zone at Speke. No area in Great Britain enjoys a more comprehensive range of incentives.