asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will undertake a major review of schemes for job creation in the North-West, in view of the current figures for unemployment in the region.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that a Job Creation Programme Action Committee has recently been set up in Manchester to deal with applications from the West Pennine area, excluding Merseyside. The North-West, like other areas of high unemployment, will benefit from the extra £30 million allocated to the job creation programme by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 12th February.