§ 24. Mr. David Watkinsasked the Secretary of State for Industry how many of the 3, 000 potential jobs in Consett that his right hon. Friend announced in reply to the hon. Member for Consett on 22 June, Official Report, c. 9, have materialised; and how this proportion compares with jobs created as a result of industrial development in the Northern region over the same period.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe 3, 000 potential jobs to which my right hon. Friend referred were those associated with all industrial inquiries being dealt with by the Derwentside industrial strategy committee at the time. Since then the expansion of existing companies and jobs from new companies have together given rise to 1, 000 firm job commitments over the next three years, of which 350 were on the ground at the end of December. In the calendar year 1981, there were a total of 1, 683 job commitments, with 600 in place by the end of the year. Comparable figures for the whole of the Northern region are not available.
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