asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she will state the reasons why unemployment in the North East has worsened in comparison with Scotland and Wales over the past year.

The higher level of unemployment in the North East compared with Scotland and Wales reflects the impact of colliery closures in Northumberland and Durham earlier this year and a lower level of activity in the construction industry, reinforced by shipbuilding redundancies not yet absorbed by the new work now in prospect.