HC Deb 14 February 2001 vol 363 cc138-9W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what initiatives embarked upon since May 1997 have benefited Pendle; and if he will make a statement. [149913]

Mr. Caborn

Pendle has benefited from the Department's employment rights policies, which include the national minimum wage, the working time directive, part-time working regulations and improved maternity leave.

In the North West region, the Department's policies have also contributed to a growth in employment by 107,000 and a fall in unemployment by 63,000, and to reductions in youth employment by 75 per cent. and long-term unemployment by 54 per cent.