Mr. Parry askedthe Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans Her Majesty's Government have to reduce unemployment in the Province.
§ Mr. Adam Butler[pursuant to his reply, 19 November 1981]: The Government's policies are designed to secure a sound economic base and to help maximise the efficiency and competitiveness of industry and commerce. Only by an unremitting attack on inflation and by keeping a firm control on the overall level of public expenditure can sustainable employment growth be generated and the conditions be created for business enterprise to flourish.
In Northern Ireland the Government have provided for the most attractive package of industrial incentives in the United Kingdom, and public expenditure continues to be substantially higher than expenditure on comparable programmes in Great Britain.
The creation of a new industrial development board, announced in August, will give additional thrust to the drive to promote more industrial development and jobs and make for the most effective use of financial and manpower resources. Other measures were described in the recently published document "Industrial Development Policy in Northern Ireland—A Framework for Action".
At present over 20,000 adults and young persons benefit from employment and training schemes and an additional £4.2 million has been allocated to Northern Ireland for various measures designed to counter unemployment.