§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will outline the measures taken by the Government over the past two years to help create the economic conditions necessary for the creation of modem, secure and better-paid jobs in Scotland.
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§ Mr. Alexander FletcherOur national economic strategy is designed to bring about the conditions necessary for the creation of modern, secure and better-paid jobs. In Scotland, regional and industrial policy contribute to this strategy by encouraging existing industry and by the attraction of new jobs from overseas.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish figures to show the number of notified redundancies in Scotland since May 1979 and the number of new jobs notified to jobcentres and other offices of his Department since that time.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherThere are no comprehensive statistics of redundancies. I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of redundancies involving 10 or more employees notified to it as due to occur between 1 May 1979 and 31 May 1981 was 112,965. During the period, 524,561 vacancies were notified to jobcentres and employment offices but, as this figure could include a number of vacancies notified on more than one occasion, it does not represent an equivalent number of jobs. It is not possible to identify those vacancies which related to new jobs.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the number of new jobs, excluding youth opportunities and other short-term provisions, which the Government have created directly in Scotland since 3 May 1979.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherComprehensive information on jobs directly created is not available. However, 28,000 new jobs were associated with offers of selective financial assistance made under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 for projects in Scotland in the period 1 May 1979 to 31 May 1981.