§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the job preservation and job creation assistance granted to the United Kingdom by the institutions of the EEC since the first year of British entry; and how many jobs he estimates to have been preserved and created by these measures.
§ Mr. AlisonThe European social fund is the main Community instrument concerned with labour market measures, and it provides assistance in respect of training, retraining and employment schemes. In addition, the European Coal and Steel Community provides reconversion loans for projects that will employ redundant coal and steel workers, and re-adaptation grants for redundancy payments and retraining schemes for former coal and steel workers. The European regional development fund and European Investment Bank provide finance in the form of loans and grants for investment and development projects in the assisted areas. Details of the assistance provided through these Community instruments to the United Kingdom in each year since 1973 are attached.
I regret that it is not possible to estimate how many jobs have been preserved or created as a result of this assistance. However, it is clear that European Community funds make a significant contribution to the level of training and employment in this country.
than 100 specialist doctors and nurses—limits the extent to which such contacts can be developed but there is scope for more useful contacts and EMAS will continue to make known its availability to advise on occupational health matters.