§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what measures he intends to take to encourage the creation of alternative employment for textile and footwear workers who have been made redundant, with particular reference to the east midlands;
(2) what measures he intends to take to reverse the employment trends that have occurred in the textile and footwear industry since 1979.
Mr. Jackson[holding answer 1 July 1991]: It is the private sector that will create alternative employment for textile and footwear workers made redundant in the east midlands or elsewhere. The work force in employment in the east midlands rose by 263,000 in the period March 1983 to December 1990.
The Department supports a number of initiatives in the textile and footwear industries aimed at increasing skill levels, meeting skill shortages, and strengthening the industries' ability to export.
The full range of services and facilities of the Department, the employment service, and the training and enterprise councils is available to assist employees who lose their jobs in the textile and footwear industry and other industries to find, and train for, alternative employment.
Maternity beds and special care baby cots per thousand births by District Health Authority of occurrence, National Health Service hospitals, England 1989–90 Total maternity beds Special care baby cots not in maternity wards Regional/District Health Authority Live births (thousands) Average daily number Number per 1,000 births Average daily number Number per 1,000 births Northern RHA 38.95 1,058 27.2 262 6.7 Hartlepool 1.80 52 28.9 15 8.3 North Tees 2.27 74 32.6 19 8.4 South Tees 4.58 92 20.1 20 4.4