§ 62. Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what initiatives his Department is taking to replace the 3,000 jobs lost on Merseyside after the announcement of redundancies at Ford's Halewood plant.
§ Mr. NichollsFord has announced that as part of the company's continuing efforts to improve efficiency and productivity, employment at Halewood will be reduced by 2,800 over the next five years.
Government policies are aimed at developing an economic climate where industry and enterprise can flourish, thus allowing jobs to be created by the private sector, including jobs to replace those lost at Halewood.
My Department operates a wide range of employment, enterprise, training and inner city measures to help the unemployed and others, including those made redundant at Halewood, find new jobs, retrain or set up businesses of their own.