asked the President of the Board of Trade how many life insurance companies there are; and how many of them have their head offices in London.

One hundred and two British companies and 23 overseas companies carry on life assurance business in the United Kingdom. Of the former, 65 have their registered office in London.

Will the President of the Board of Trade bring forcibly to the notice of these companies the fact that, like building societies, they can operate efficiently and perhaps more cheaply outside London? As building societies are doing a pretty good job in the provinces, will the right hon. Gentleman tell the House what steps he can take to ensure that this example is followed? Is he aware that this kind of commercial activity is a very important factor in the economy of the country and that, therefore, offices as well as industry generally should be restrained in London?

I must point out to the hon. Member that a registered office is not necessarily a head office. I appreciate the points he is making, and I put them to insurance companies some time ago. One must also remember that to a very large extent insurance is obliged to follow the industrial and commercial activity of the country and must, therefore, have its offices conveniently sited for such purposes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received an application for a certificate to develop an oil refinery at Bohuns Hall Farm, near Tollesbury, Essex.

No, Sir.

If my right hon. Friend does get such an application, will he give it the widest publicity before giving his decision? Will he also ensure that the developer, if such should apply, is a bone fide developer and not a land speculator?

If an application is made, I shall, of course, consider it very carefully. But I can give no undertaking to make the application public, because that is not the normal practice.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what research has been carried out by his Department as to the estimated imports of Commonwealth countries over the next decade, with a view to publishing the results as guidance to British exporters.

I doubt whether any estimates of this kind would be of enough value to British exporters to justify the work involved in making them. The Board of Trade already publishes a great deal of information about the particular requirements of Commonwealth markets and the prospects in them, and it will always be glad to consider what help it can give to exporters on any particular problem.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the staffs of many of the High Commissioners' offices in London are prepared to provide such figures which, if collated, would indicate that the imports of the Commonwealth countries are liable to increase over the next decade to about £3,000 million? Surely that is something which should be brought to the attention of British industrialists and exporters? Will my right hon. Friend consider creating a Commonwealth export council just as he has an export council for the Western Hemisphere and the European export council?

I have considered the proposal made by my hon. Friend, but in my opinion estimates relating to a broad category of imports by such Commonwealth countries would contain sufficiently wide margins of error in the forecasts as to be of relatively little value to British exporters. I have considered the question of a Commonwealth council, but as the needs of Commonwealth countries vary so much from one part of the world to another, I do not think that a Commonwealth council, as such, would achieve the same effect as is achieved by the E.C.E. or the Western Hemisphere exports council.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in view of the importance of extending the Scottish hotel tourist industry, what evidence he has collected during the last six months directed towards the advisability of making loans, on favourable terms, for building, extending and improving hotels in Scotland.

None, Sir.

Is the President of the Board of Trade aware of the special meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science which is being organised in Scotland for 1963? Will the right hon. Gentleman, in the meantime, circularise the hotels and inform them with a view to their taking special advantage of the opportunities which this meeting in 1963 will offer?

I think that the British Travel and Holidays Association would be the most effective body to do what the hon. Gentleman suggests.

Is not it a fact that facilities of this kind already exist through the Highland Tourist Development Company Ltd., in the Highlands and near the Highlands? Can my right hon. Friend say to what extent the hotels in the Highlands and nearby have availed themselves of these facilities?

I am glad to endorse what has been said by my hon. Friend about the good work of the Highland Tourist Development Company Ltd. Regarding what it might do about the proposal of the hon. and learned Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Hector Hughes), as the meeting to which he referred is not until 1963, I should have thought that there is time enough to take it into account.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the factors that have caused the recent increase in the number of unemployed in the Northern Region; and what direct methods he is introducing to remedy the position.

I am informed by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour that the increase in unemployment in the Northern Region between 11th December, 1961, and 15th January, 1962, was due mainly to seasonal factors, including the registration of Christmas school-leavers. More than half the increase in unemployment among men was in construction; there was also a substantial increase in iron and steel. I will continue to make all possible use of the powers provided by the Local Employment Act and the Town and Country Planning Act to encourage the development of further industry in areas of high unemployment in the Northern Region.

This is the same kind of reply. I wonder Why the President of the Board of Trade bothers to come to the House to give it. Why does he not record it on a tape recorder? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in March, 1961, he promised that there were 14,500 jobs in prospect for Durham, in June that there were 20,000 in prospect for the North-East, and in December that there were 27,500 jobs in prospect for the North-East? I think he has turned up more figures than a bingo announcer. I suggest that the figures do not make—

Order. The supplementary question is out of a order for a variety of reasons.

May I ask him further—

No.

Mr. Stonehouse.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will grant a development certificate to Messrs. Harris and Sheldon for the extension of their factory in Willenhall which will enable another factory, which is out of date, to be shut down, and higher productivity and better working conditions to be achieved.

No, Sir.

Does it encourage higher productivity and lower costs for this firm to be forced to operate in two separate establishments a mile-and-a-half apart? Why is it not allowed to develop on its own land which is not required for any other use?

Because we wish to encourage new industries to go to the north-east of England.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of that reply and the failure of the Minister to look into this question and to give a fuller reply, I intend to raise the question on the Adjournment tonight.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what new industries have been established in the Bodmin-Wadebridge employment exchange area since January, 1961; and how many employment vacancies have been thus created.

Two. About 370 jobs will be provided by these and other developments in the area; some of these jobs have already accrued.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that most of these jobs are at Bodmin, which is useless to my constituents who live 10 or 15 miles away where there is a lack of employment? Will he look at this matter again to see whether he can put the rest of the area back under the provisions of the Local Employment Act?

I am aware of the difficulties experienced by the constituents of my hon. Friend, but I do not think that the travel to work difficulties are as great as he suggests.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of that reply, I give notice that I shall endeavour to raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what new jobs are expected to be available in Blyth and Seaton Valley in the next six months as a result of their being scheduled as Development Areas;

Two firms have shown an interest in Blyth and Seaton Delaval since these areas were made development districts last December. I could not give further details without disclosing confidential information about the intentions of individual firms.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his succession to the Presidency of the Board of Trade considerably raised the hopes of my constituents that something would be done for the north-east of England? Is he aware that we are a kindly and tolerant people but that we shall be watching his efforts on our behalf very critically? May I say to the right hon. Gentleman—if it is not too presumptuous to do so—that if he turns his back on some of the policies advocated by the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet he might be more successful in satisfying us?

I assure the hon. Gentleman that I shall consider all the points which he has made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what additional areas have been added to the list of places in the North-East under the Local Employment Act.

Prudhoe and Haswell were added in October, 1960, and Blyth and Seaton Delaval in December, 1961.

Does the Minister realise that the problem is in west Durham? Does he recall that his Parliamentary Secretary paid a fleeting visit to the Crook and Brandon area? Does he know that in the Durham Employment Exchange area the unemployment figure is now double what it was twelve months ago, and that the unemployment problem arises mainly in the Brandon Urban District area? Is he aware that there is a first-class site for industrial development astride the main railway line and the A.1, and will he seek to bring new industry to this area where the coal mining industry is rapidly closing down?

I am well aware of the problem, particularly the problem created by the impending closure of pits. In a comprehensive Written Answer on 14th December, I provided an answer which covered the areas of most parts of the North-East about which hon. Gentlemen and my hon. Friends have rightly been expressing concern. If hon. Gentlemen will look at my answer again, I think they will see that we are doing a great deal, and I assure everyone concerned that I am far from being complacent about it.

Will not my right hon. Friend agree that the whole unemployment situation in the North-East is assuming alarming proportions, especially in my constituency? Will the Government take serious steps to look into this matter and alleviate the growing distress and anxiety which exists in the Durham area?

I hope that the hon. Member for Wednesbury (Mr. Stonehouse) will consider what has just been said.

Does the Minister realise that as long as the Government follow a general economic policy which is designed to hold back the whole economy the North-East Coast is bound to suffer?

Not necessarily.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what sums are to be allocated for new industrial development in the North-East in 1962–63; how these sums compare with 1961–62; and what percentage these allocations form of the total sums for Local Employment Act expenditure in the years in question.

Expenditure approved for projects in the North-East between 1st April and 31st December, 1961, amounted to £1·7 million, or 7·6 per cent., compared with £1·6 million, or 3·2 per cent., in the year ended 31st March, 1961. Estimates of future expenditure under the Local Employment Act are not subdivided by regions.

This is a very disappointing figure when one considers that £38 million has rightly been approved for expenditure on Merseyside and Clyde-side. In view of the unemployment problem in the North-East, far more ought to be pumped into the area.

We have been pumping it in at over double the rate.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what decision he has reached upon the new Cuban cigar import quota; and what effect he estimates this will have on the imports of Jamaican cigars into this country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement about the future quota for Cuban cigars, in view of the anxiety felt by those employed in the Jamaican cigar industry.

The 1962 import quota for Cuban cigars remains at the 1961 level. The position of Jamaican cigars in the British market, to which they have free access, is thus unchanged.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that that reply is better than it might have been but not as good as it should have been? Will he bear in mind the high level of unemployment in Jamaica, and that it might have been both wise and right to help unemployment there and our own Commonwealth producers as opposed to those of a Communist country by reducing the Cuban quota?

No, Sir. While Jamaican cigars have unrestricted access, I do not think that it would be right to reduce the Cuban quota, because the Cubans are already in serious arrears with their debt and other payments to us and they must be provided with some opportunity of earning the currency to meet their obligations.

Will my right hon. Friend also consider any other ways in which he can stimulate the consumption of Jamaican cigars in this country?

I do not think that the consumption of cigars is a matter for me.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the unemployment caused in Aberdeen shipyards by the recent reduction in orders for shipbuilding, ship-repairing and engineering; and what steps he has taken this winter to find remedies for these financial and economic problems.

I am aware of the reduction in the employment being provided by shipbuilding and ship-repairing firms in Aberdeen. But nevertheless the average rate of unemployment was lower in 1961 than in 1960. I shall continue to encourage new industry for the district.

Is the Minister not ashamed of being unaware of our ancient traditions and of not treating this island nation as the great shipbuilding nation that it once was? Will he take urgent steps to see that British shipbuilding yards are put in a position to compete with the foreigners in this respect?

Shipping and shipbuilding are matters for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport. What I am concerned with is the provision of industry to provide employment, and that is why I am not only aware that unemployment in Aberdeen has gone down in 1961 but am glad about it. It also serves to answer the right hon. Member for Battersea, North (Mr. Jay).

asked the President of the Board of Trade if the recent increase of unemployment in south-west Durham has been covered by new industrial proposals since 1st January, 1962.

I regret the recent increase in unemployment in south-west Durham, but I hope that many of those now unemployed will find work on the new projects and expansions which we look forward to seeing in the Bishop Auckland group of employment exchange areas and on the neighbouring trading estate at Aycliffe and which are estimated by the firms concerned to be providing about 2,000 jobs.

Can the Minister explain why the factory that was to be built on the Fielder Bridge site has not materialised? Is there any connection between this and the I.C.I.-Courtaulds merger, which is rumoured in the district? Can he throw any light on this?

I certainly could if given notice.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the balance of trade between the United Kingdom and Japan for the 12 months up to the most recent accounting period.

This information is available from the Trade and Navigation Accounts.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this is the only way I could raise this Question on the Order Paper? Will he agree that these figures disclose an expanding trade between this country and Japan, and also an expanding market in Japan of which exporters could take good advantage at the present time?

I wholly subscribe to my hon. Friend's supplementary question, and I am glad that he found a way of getting it into HANSARD.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the current negotiations for an Anglo-Japanese trade treaty.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Leicester, North-West (Sir B. Janner) on 6th February.

As there is great scope for long-term trade between Great Britain and Japan at the present time, would the President of the Board of Trade not agree that the conclusion of a long-term treaty is very urgent? Would not a mutual exchange of visits between our businessmen and Japanese businessmen help to iron out any of the difficulties that might arise through unfair competition and trading practices?

Negotiations for a commercial treaty are in hand at the present time. Sir Norman Kipping of the Federation of British Industries visited Japan in the autumn of last year. His report, I imagine, is now being studied by British businessmen, and, of course, those who wish to visit Japan are free to do so.

Will the right hon. Gentleman not make a trade treaty with Japan until the present export subsidies there are discontinued?

And the workers are given better wages.

We have repeatedly made clear to the Japanese our attitude towards export subsidies, and this will be one of the matters taken into account.

It is more necessary than just to make sure. We should be certain that no trade agreement is entered into as long as double-pricing practices are pursued.

It would not be proper for me to give a categorical undertaking of the kind required by my hon. Friend, but I am aware of the feelings he has expressed and the other views that are held.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the fact that United Kingdom exports to the Commonwealth are £800 million greater than exports to the Common Market, and that between 1950 and 1960 United Kingdom exports to the Commonwealth rose by more than £440 million whilst exports to the Common Market countries rose by less than £280 million, if he will give priority to obtaining a Commonwealth trade conference to discuss methods of protecting and increasing Commonwealth trade before negotiating further with the European Economic Community.

No, Sir. The Government's reasons for deciding to apply for membership of the E.E.C., provided that satisfactory terms could be negotiated, were fully explained in the Prime Minister's statement on 31st July of last year and in the debate on 2nd and 3rd August.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that if the trends of the fifties, which were very favourable to Europe and unfavourable to the Commonwealth continue during the next decade, our exports to the Commonwealth in 1970 will be £1,900 million whereas to the Common Market only £800 million? Would not it be a good idea to discuss with the Commonwealth methods of increasing this figure even more, so that if certain methods were agreed on we could in our negotiations with Europe take into account future prospects of Commonwealth trade instead of just present Commonwealth trade?

As regards Commonwealth trade, our application to join the Common Market does not mean that we are any the less interested in developing Commonwealth trade, but rather the reverse. We are constantly in touch with the Commonwealth capitals on ways and means of increasing our trade with them, and this process should be able to continue both now and in the future.

Does the right hon. Gentleman deny the accuracy of the figures contained in the Question, and are these figures not really significant? Do not they indicate that it is far better to rely on the Commonwealth than take the chances contained in associating with the European Economic Community?

No, Sir. I assure the right hon. Gentleman that the figures contained in the Question are substantially correct, but they do not tell the whole story.

As my right hon. Friend said that our application to join the Common Market does not mean any reduced interest in Commonwealth trade, can we take it that Her Majesty's Government will resist any attempt to include us in an agreement which would mean discriminating in favour of Continental European countries against overseas Commonwealth countries?

My hon. Friend knows that negotiations are in progress, and so I am not prepared to answer that question in any detail.

Is not that really a rather evasive answer? Cannot the right hon. Gentleman at least assure us that he is not one of those people who regard Commonwealth trade and the principle of free entry of Commonwealth goods into the United Kinkdom as things lightly to be sacrificed?

We have always made it plain that we are determined to get a square deal for the Commonwealth, and we are also interested in making sure that our exports go to Commonwealth countries as well.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many additional jobs are expected to be provided in the Chester-le-Street constituency in 1962; and how many inquiries from industrialists about development in the constituency are currently under his consideration.

The hon. Member's constituency extends over all or part of the Chester-le-Street, Birtley, Houghton-le-Spring and Washington Station employment exchange areas. About 2,100 additional jobs are expected to be provided in these areas, but I cannot say how many of them will arise in 1962. Two firms are currently considering development in these areas.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I appreciate that reply? Can he confirm or deny that a large firm which wished to build a new factory in the Chester-le-Street constituency was discouraged by his Department because of the Government's present financial policy?

I can neither confirm nor deny.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the judgment in the House of Lords in the case of Bridge v. Campbell Discount Co. Ltd., he will introduce legislation to amend the Hire Purchase Acts in order to remove the legal anomaly referred to in the judgment.

I am studying the implications of this judgment and will certainly take it into account when I consider the Report of the Molony Committee on Consumer Protection which I hope to receive shortly.

Does the President of the Board of Trade agree that this is a very urgent matter which ought not to be left to the Molony Committee's recommendations, which may not be put into effect for a considerable time? Does he realise that the effect of this judgment is to suggest to hirers who cannot for good reasons, keep up their payments that they ought to default and break their contracts in order to avoid the penal provisions of the law, which Parliament never intended should be penal?

This is certainly a very important matter, and for that reason the Government are not going to be rushed into making a premature decision.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will introduce legislation to amend the Restrictive Trade Practices Act to provide for the registration of information agreements.

The subject of information agreements is being covered by the general review of monopolies and restrictive practices legislation which I have put in hand.

When may we expect some results from this review being put in hand? Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that his Department is now cluttered up with advisory committees which never seem to report?

The advisory committees are getting on very well with their work. I made it plain that this review would take time because of the complexity and intricacy of the subject, and I said that I thought that it was unlikely that the review would be completed before the end of this year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that employers and unions in Lancashire are disappointed with his policy regarding the cotton industry arising from his visit on 8th December, 1961; and what action he proposes to take to improve the situation in the industry.

When I visited Manchester I reminded the industry of the steps the Government had taken to help the cotton industry, both by limiting imports and by assisting reorganisation and re-equipment. I also undertook that, subject to our international obligations the Government would consider taking further action to restrain imports if disruption was threatened. I do not accept that the industry has any cause for being disappointed with this very positive policy. I am glad to note that imports to the United Kingdom have continued to drop from the high levels to which they rose following the exceptional conditions which existed in 1960.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that any action he took to restrict imports of grey cloth and yarn seems to have been quite ineffective and the trade as a whole is very disappointed at the little action he has taken?

I do not agree with my hon. Friend's statement, because it is not only the action I took but also the action taken by the industry itself to secure inter-industry agreements restricting imports from Commonwealth countries. The fall in imports last year was very striking. Quarter by quarter it went down from 166 million square yards in the first quarter, through 138 million and 117 million, down to only 100 million square yards in the fourth quarter. This should give reasonable grounds for optimism in the industry.

Is the President of the Board of Trade aware that many of us are disappointed with the competitive ability of this industry, despite the millions of pounds of public money which have been poured into it in the last two and a half years?

I am not going to pronounce on an expression of opinion of that sort.

May I follow up the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Mr. Rhodes)? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that many people in Lancashire have come to the conclusion that the Government's only attitude towards the cotton industry is to regard it as an expendable unit in the general picture of overseas trade? Coupled with that, the view is seriously held by quite well informed people that the much lauded action of the Government in bringing before the House the Cotton Bill in 1958 was nothing more than an election bribe to prepare the shop window for the general election in 1959?

No. The 1958 Cotton Bill was nothing of the kind described by the hon. Gentleman. Those in the industry who care to study carefully the very extensive measures of import restriction or control all round the world to safeguard the Lancashire industry will realise how much we have done for the industry and the considerable extent to which we have safeguarded its future prosperity.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that merchants are importing cotton goods from Spain and Portugal and selling them in packets which have been used for many years to contain British goods? Will he take steps to bring an end to this practice?

Merchants are free to import within the restrictive limits, and Spain is one of the countries to which restrictions apply.

Will the right hon. Gentleman note that that does not answer the question he was asked? He was asked if he will take steps to prevent British merchants—salesmen, retailers and wholesalers—putting Spanish goods into packages which over the years have been known to be associated with British goods only?

I am sorry. I did not hear the supplementary question fully enough. I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for repeating it in his usual loud voice. The fraudulent use of packages or the misdescription of the goods contained in them are matters which can be attended to by existing legislation.

Will the Board of Trade deal with it?

Anybody can deal with it, as well as us.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is satisfied with the investment in new equipment in the cotton industry in view of the lack of confidence in the industry, and the nature of the Government's policy towards the import of grey cloth and yarn; and if he will make a statement.

I am aware that investment in new equipment has been deterred to some extent by fears of competition from low-priced imports: but the marked fall in the level of imports over recent months, coupled with the limitation of imports of cloth from certain countries, should encourage firms to take advantage of the financial help available under the Cotton Industry Act, 1959.

In view of the difficulty of restricting the importation of cloth, will my right hon. Friend look into his powers under the anti-dumping legislation as they exist at present?

Importation of cloth is substantially restricted at present, as I pointed out in answer to a previous supplementary question put by my hon. Friend. As regards the anti-dumping legislation, the law can be applied if an applicant makes a successful application for it to be applied.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the nature of the representations he has received from the Easington District Council on the subject of new industry in the area of their administration.

The Clerk of the Easington Rural District Council wrote to the Board on 10th January asking that renewed efforts should be made to induce new industry to come to the Easington area, and in particular to Peterlee. In reply he was assured that we would do all we could to encourage suitable firms to go to this area.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Local Employment Act has failed? It has not reduced unemployment as the right hon. Gentleman's predecessor prophesied it would. In view of the many problems of unemployment, not only in the North-East but in the Midlands and elsewhere, nothing short of a boost by the Government in the direction of capital investment and expansion will be of any avail. Why do not the Government, instead of employing deflationary measures, have regard to the present situation and try to deal with it in a sensible way?

All-round inflation would not necessarily mean that factories and industries would go to the places in which the right hon. Gentleman is interested. The Local Employment Act has certainly not failed. It has done a great deal of good work already, but I am not complacent about those places which are still very much my anxious concern.

Could the same answer be made in regard to Easington or any other areas in the North-East as the right hon. Gentleman gave to my supplementary on a previous Question?

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many prosecutions took place in 1961 for failure to comply with the requirements of the Merchandise Marks Act.

It is open to anyone to take proceedings under the Merchandise Marks Acts, and I have no record of the total number of such proceedings in 1961. The Board of Trade prosecuted in nineteen cases.

Will not my right hon. Friend try to accumulate these figures, because they show how many manufacturers and which type of manufacturer are disregarding this very important Act, which was passed to ensure that proper quality and fitness for purpose were maintained in merchandise sold to the public here and overseas?

I do not think that the amount of work involved would be justified by the relatively small results which, as far as I can see at present could be achieved.

Does the right hon. Gentleman take the same attitude on this question as he takes to the question of foreign goods being put into British packages? Is not that a deliberate deluding of the public as to the type of goods they are buying? Should not his Department be taking some action about it?

If the hon. Lady or my hon. Friend will give me the details of any particular matters I will see that they are looked into.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that some branded blankets on sale to the public, details of which have been sent to him by the hon. Member for Gillingham, are so weak that they are liable to come apart in handling; and if he will make inquiries with a view to prosecution under the Merchandise Marks Act.

I am making inquiries and will write to my hon. Friend.

Will my right hon. Friend give greater attention to this matter? If blankets are sold and are, as the Shopper's Guide stated, so weak that they are liable to come apart in ordinary handling—and are sold in the home market—some action can be taken. But if they are sold in overseas markets they automatically set up a consumer resistance to British merchandise on a very much wider scale than the merchandise which is actually affected.

I shall be glad to include what my hon. Friend has said in the inquiries I propose to make.

Can my right hon. Friend confirm that any aggrieved private citizen can initiate proceedings under existing legislation? Should not a strong, self-reliant people like the British be prepared to act in this way in matters of this kind?

My hon. Friend is certainly right, and I hope that the public will use the rights which they possess under the appropriate legislation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what projects have been started in the Crook area since the operation of the Local Employment Act.

One project has been completed and an industrial development certificate has been given for another. Work has started on six projects in the Bishop Auckland group of employment exchange areas, within travel-to-work distance of Crook.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in this local employment exchange area the rate of unemployment is nearly 8 per cent.? While he takes his figures from the Bishop Auckland area, the west is actually the problem area. Will he look closer into this matter, especially as it concerns the closing of the mining industry and in view of the urgent need for new industries in the Crook area?

I will look at what the hon. Gentleman has said, but I would remind him that we take into account prospective colliery closures.

Will the right hon. Gentleman take note of the large number of Questions on the Order Paper today in connection with the growing unemployment in the North-East, having in mind the statement of a Parliamentary Secretary last year that there were about 27,000 jobs in the pipeline? In view of the growing number of unemployed in the North-East and the fact that this area is anxious to see some results from that statement about there being 27,000 jobs in the pipeline, when does the right hon. Gentleman hope that the number of jobs will outweigh the growing number of unemployed in the North-East?

I could not give a forecast along the lines of the last part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question. In general, I am fully aware of the concern of the North-East Coast, as is evidenced by the large number of Questions this afternoon, and we are doing all we can in the Board of Trade to bring more jobs to the North-East Coast.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, when work will begin on the erection of the advance factory at Shotts.

On a point of order. Might I have your guidance, Mr. Speaker? This is the third time that this Question has appeared on the Order Paper and has not been reached. Again it will have to be withdrawn. In view of the fact that Petitions are presented during Question Time, as happened today, and the other matters also take up the time of Questions, what consideration can you give to our meeting at 2 p.m. instead of 2.30 p.m. for Questions?

That is a matter really for the House and not for me.