asked the Minister of Labour how many people are now recorded as being in employment in Great Britain.

24,048,000 in mid-September, 1962.

Is this a record, and, if so, does it not do something to balance the fact that there are about 500,000 people out of work at present?

This is not a record. At the end of September, 1961, the total was 24,060,000.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to prevent unemployment of scientific, technical and professional staff displaced by closure of the enriched uranium plant at Capenhurst; having regard to the national shortage of scientific manpower, what special facilities he is arranging to ensure that each man concerned is retrained as necessary and offered alternative employment with minimum delay and disturbance; and how many redundancies are envisaged.

I am in touch with the Atomic Energy Authority, which advises me that it is too early to say that its own efforts at redeployment will not solve the problem. In any event, my officers of the Professional and Executive Register will give every assistance to individuals seeking suitable alternative employment. Retraining is not expected to be a significant problem in view of the considerable demand for people with these qualifications and experience.

Will my right hon. Friend bear two points in mind? First, is he aware that allegations have been made by the Staff Side of the Whitley Council to the effect that there was inadequate consultation before this large redundancy of scientific and skilled manpower was declared? Has the Minister looked into that aspect of things? Secondly, having regard to the very highly skilled character of this repository of scientific labour which has been declared redundant, will he give his special personal attention to see that each man with scientific qualifications is properly placed in the Mersey-side area?

I will certainly take note of what my hon. Friend has said and do whatever I can to see that these men are placed where their skills will not be wasted.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many of these scientists had bought homes in the City of Chester constituency? When making arrangements to move them possibly to other work, will he see that they are given as long notice as possible in order that they may find suitable alternative accommodation?

I will take note of what my hon. Friend has said.

Would the right hon. Gentleman care to answer the last point made by the hon. Member for Kidderminster (Mr. Nabarro), namely, the question of the adequacy of the consultation which took place?

I did say that I would take note of his question, and I will inquire. This is the first time this has been brought to my notice.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will make a statement on the number of working mothers in Britain as a whole and in Scotland alone, respectively, indicating the proportion to the whole population of Britain and Scotland, respectively.

I regret that this information is not available.

Does the Minister realise that that Answer is quite unsatisfactory and insufficient? Does he realise that the facts referred to in the Question are an index of the very real and difficult social problem relating to wages being too low and also to juvenile delinquency? Will he say what efforts he is making to solve these problems?

The hon. and learned Member will be interested to know that this information must be based on the census. In 1951 the Government of the day did not collect this information. I am glad to say that this Government, in 1961, have rectified that omission.

Surely the Minister will agree that this information is available? Is it not available in the employment exchanges and Ministry of Labour offices? He will know the number of women who are working and whether they are married or single. This is a matter of collating information.

I think the hon. Member is wrong. He is quite right in saying that we know the number of married women in employment, but we do not know how many of them are mothers.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will introduce legislation to ensure that employees should not be debarred, under their terms of employment, from wearing clothes which have religious significance for them.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will introduce legislation to ensure that employees shall not be debarred by their terms of employment from wearing clothes which have religious significance for them.

I do not think legislation would be appropriate. I am sure it is better that occasional difficulties such as this which arise should be settled by common sense and understanding between the parties concerned.

In view of the fact that turban-wearing Sikhs fought alongside our men with great gallantry during the last war, during which 36,000 were killed and 58,000 wounded, would not my right hon. Friend consider it rather a pity to prevent Sikhs wearing turbans when issuing tickets on buses?

I think this is a matter which is better settled by negotiation and discussion with the parties concerned. If we were to get into legislation defining varieties of religious dress, religious holidays and so on, we should be getting into a lot of trouble.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of persons in Aberdeen who are now unemployed, according to trades, industries and sexes, together with comparable figures for each of the last 10 years at the corresponding time of year.

As the reply consists of tables of figures, I will, with permission, circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The tables contain figures of unemployment by sexes for each October from 1952 to 1962, and the analysis by industry and sex for 1962. The analysis by industry is not readily available for previous years, and I regret that it would involve a disproportionate amount of staff time to produce.

Does not the Minister realise that this Question also refers to a very real and difficult social problem? Will he consult the Secretary of State for Scotland and the President of the Board of Trade, both of whom have given promises to take steps to maintain employment in the North-East of Scotland, with a view to devising means for enabling Ministers to redeem their promises to the Scottish people?

I think the hon. and learned Gentleman knows that I am in very close touch with my other Government colleagues and that I certainly share his concern. I had the pleasure and honour of visiting the constituency which he represents and the surrounding area a very short time ago.

Can the Minister say whether, as a result of this visit, he expects that the employment position in Aberdeen will be worsened or kept steady during the winter months; and,

asked the Minister of Labour if employment has yet been offered to those former miners displaced by the closure of Baads Colliery in West Lothian who live in the village of Wool-fords, Lanarkshire.

I understand that 18 miners

if he thinks it is likely to worsen, can he say what action he proposes to take to alleviate it?

It is very difficult to make prophecies about unemployment. I think it would be quite wrong not to recognise that seasonal factors are likely to worsen the position, rather than improve it, before it gets better. I should not like to give any false hopes to my hon. Friend.

Following are the Tables:

living in Woolfords became redundant as a result of this closure. Of these, 15 were recently interviewed by the National Coal Board for employment in the Lothians. Seven have started work, three were unfit and five rejected the offer. Our local officers will make every effort to find other work for those still unemployed.

While thanking the Parliamentary Secretary for that reply, may I ask him if he is aware that these efforts might have been made more successfully earlier had it not been for the absurdity that, although administratively these miners are within Lanarkshire and were, therefore, appropriately directed to the Lanark Employment Exchange, in all geographical common sense they are nearer West Lothian, and that only quite recently was this brought to his notice?

However that may be, I think the hon. Lady will agree that the efforts now are proving reasonably successful.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons are registered as unemployed at the Brixton Employment Exchange; and what the comparable figure was last year.

2,999 on 15th October, 1962, compared with 2,069 on 16th October, 1961.

Is not this a very substantial increase, and do not these figures show that the disquieting trend towards higher unemployment all over the country is manifesting itself even in London, where the unemployment ratio is generally lower than in many other parts of the country? What are the Government going to do about this very serious state of affairs?

The hon. Gentleman may have framed his supplementary question before he heard the figures. We cannot quote percentage rates for particular parts of London, but the Greater London rate in October this year was 1.3 per cent. I notice that some of his hon. Friends are pressing for things to be done to get employment away from London. I think he might well consult them.

asked the Minister of Labour how many building workers are registered as unemployed in the London area; and what the comparable figure was last year.

6,905 workers whose last employment was in the construction industry were unemployed in the Greater London area on 15th October. The comparable figure for 1961 was 4,680.

Do not these figures indicate that there has been a 50 per cent. increase in the number of unemployed building workers in the London area as compared with last year? Will the right hon. Gentleman bring these figures to the notice of his right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government, who only last Thursday solemnly but inaccurately assured the House that the building industry was fully employed?—see OFFICIAL REPORT, 1st November, col. 325.

I think the present figures indicate a slight easing of the pressure on the industry. There are still considerable shortages of certain craftsmen, particularly carpenters and bricklayers. In general, there is no shortage of building work in London.

asked the Minister of Labour what special instructions he has given to his officials in the Swindon area; and what other special action he will take, to assist men who become redundant at the British Railways' workshops.

My local officers will register redundant workpeople in advance of their discharge, so as to lose no time in trying to secure alternative employment for them. The British Transport Commission, with whom we are in close touch, has promised us every assistance.

Is the Minister aware that, of the 18,000 railway workers who are threatened with the sack, 2,000 are in Swindon, and most of these will be leaving next year or the year after? Is he also aware that they have been given the most categorical assurances that the Government will take all sorts of steps to find them new jobs? Will he go down to Swindon to have a look at the situation on the spot and have a talk with the men concerned, particularly the older craftsmen, for whom the future is very black indeed?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, in his constituency the percentage unemployment rate is 1 per cent.—less than half the national average. He also knows that a considerable number of new jobs are in prospect, including some 900 for males. I hope that we shall be able to deal satisfactorily with this problem, but, of course, the hon. Gentleman is quite right in saying that there will be difficulties with some of the older people with specialist skills, such as coach builders. I can assure him that we shall do all we can to help.

May I press the Minister once more, particularly in view of the problem faced by the older craftsmen, of the uncertainty of the employment position in a number of other industries, including the pressed steel workers? Will he go down to the borough and have a talk to the men on the spot?

There is nothing that I would like to do more than to go down to Swindon, but I am not divisible. There are quite a number of places which I have to see where I am afraid the unemployment situation is a great deal more serious than it is in Swindon.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of those leaving school in Scotland in 1962 are still without employment.

There were 54,600 school leavers this year. 1,099 were registered for employment on 15th October.

Is it not an indictment of the policy of the Government that almost 2,000 school leavers in Scotland cannot get jobs, and, in view of the exceedingly bad effect which this has on young persons anxious to do their bit, do not the Government think that they should give more attention to this problem than they have done up to the present?

I share the hon. Gentleman's concern about the difficulty in placing these young people in employment. I am glad to say that the figures between September and October have improved very considerably. Certainly, I shall not rest content until I can see what more can be done. I hope also that it is of some comfort that, of those who have entered into jobs, the proportion of apprentices in this areas is considerably higher than in the rest of the country. Something like 40 per cent. have got apprenticeships, as compared with 36.9 per cent. in Great Britain as a whole.

While welcoming that bit of information, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether there is not a very large proportion of the 2,000 in Fife and Clackmannan? In view of the closing down of pits and the possibility of lost jobs in the future, is he not aware that unless the Government get some new industries into these places there is likely to be permanent unemployment among the school leavers? Will he consider the possibility of keeping them at school until the jobs are available for them or in some way occupying intelligently the energies and abilities of these young people?

We are endeavouring to place these young people in jobs. On the first part of the right hon. Gentleman's question, it is the policy of the Government to do all we can to steer new industries into areas of high unemployment, such as Fife and Lanarkshire—Fifeshire, in particular. This has been stated repeatedly, and we shall certainly endeavour to do so.

asked the Minister of Labour how many jobs have been lost in Scotland during 1962.

The only reliable and comprehensive figures are those derived from changes in the number of employees in employment; I regret that these figures are not yet available for 1962.

Why is it that the Minister was able to give these figures in previous years but is unable to give them today?

That is a perfectly fair question. The answer which I gave the hon. Member previously—I think it was in February last year—was based on estimates of redundancies in manufacturing industries from instances reported to my own local offices. The answer was, therefore, far from comprehensive because it did not take into account jobs lost in other industries or new jobs provided. The answer which I hope to be able to give him in February next year —[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]—I have been asked for the figures for 1962, and my answer is not unreasonable. The figures which I shall be able to give next February will be based on total numbers employed; this will be worked out from the figures of insured employees derived from the mid-year count of all insurance cards.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the total number of unemployed in Scotland at the latest available date; and how many of these have been out of work for six weeks or more.

On 15th October, 1962, 84,797, of whom 51,166 have been unemployed for six weeks or more.

Will the Minister ask his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to support measures to deal with his own failure, while he was President of the Board of Trade, to bring employment to Scotland?

We are all deeply concerned about this unemployment situation, but we have got to be fair. It is true that the decline in some of the older industries has exceeded the provision of new jobs, but every Scottish Member knows that, if the very energetic action which has been taken by the Board of Trade had not been taken, the situation in Scotland would have been very grave indeed.

Could the right hon. Gentleman say what the corresponding figure was a year ago compared with the 84,000?

Yes, 65,284.

Surely the fact that there ace 20,000 more after all this so-called adequate effort—a 30 per cent. increase —denotes that the Government have failed and that the Local Employment Act is not the answer. What are the Government going to do about it? It is no good the Government saying that they are concerned and worried about it when we have had the spectacle of three senior Ministers coming to Scotland during the Recess and all saying different things about the same problem.

I do not know about that; I think the hon. Gentleman is using his imagination. The House ought to be fair. In the last two years £41.7 million has been paid out under the Local Employment Act to provide for projects in Scotland. I know that the hon. Gentleman complains when I talk about "jobs in the pipeline", but they will provide 30,000 new jobs. This is a very considerable contribution, although it is not satisfactory or enough in terms of the unemployment situation. If this action had not been taken by the Government the situation would have been grave indeed.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the increase in the number of males in civil employment in the London and the South-East and the Eastern and Southern Regions and in Scotland, respectively, from mid-1959 to mid-1961.

I regret that figures for civil employment are not available by regions. The hon. Member may care to have the increases in the number of insured employees, and as these take the form of a table I will, with permission, circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Is it not rather strange (that the Minister cannot give this information when something very near to this information can be obtained from other Government publications? Is he not aware, for example, that in Scotland there was a decline in the number of jobs by 10,000 over this period and that the probability is that there is an increase of some hundreds of thousands in the number of jobs in the two regions which have been mentioned? Is there not a suggestion, in refusing to give this information, that there is something disturbing that the Minister is trying to hide?

I am not trying to do that. I am trying to give the House accurate information. The figures of civil employment are not available in regions because we cannot estimate the numbers of employers and self-employed.

Following is the information:

asked the Minister of Labour what new policy he proposes to reduce the continuing migration of workers into the London-Midland regions and to promote the development of a much greater volume of employment in Scotland and in the north of England.

The Government will continue to apply vigorously its policy of using its powers under the Local Employment Act to limit the issue of Industrial Development Certificates in areas of low unemployment and to encourage industrial expansion where unemployment is high.

Is the Minister aware that the information which he refuses to give, and which I am sure he can get if he likes to look for it, will show that there has been an enormous concentration of jobs in the south and south-east region and that there has been a draining away of jobs in Scotland and the north-east—indeed, in most of the peripheral areas? Will the right hon. Gentleman look at the double-sided problem in that the south is being grossly and scandalously overcrowded and that the north and north-east and other parts are being drained of people?

I am not trying to conceal it. I accept a lot of what 'the hon. Gentleman says. It is the policy of the Government to do all we can to steer new and expanding industry to areas of high unemployment such as the North-East, Scotland and Merseyside.

Will the Minister stop telling the House that the Local Employment Act can cure this situation? It is getting worse from week to week in Scotland. Will he bear in mind that the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his last visit to Scotland indicated clearly in a speech that the Local Employment Act would not cure Scotland's pressing unemployment situation?

I think the hon. Gentleman is referring to a letter that the Chancellor of the Exchequer wrote to the Scottish Council. He made the point that the Local Employment Act on its own would not be successful, but he also mentioned the other action that the Government had in mind. I have already mentioned it in answer to previous Questions. It consists of increased public investment, increased acceleration of road programmes, the release of post-war credits and any other steps which the Chancellor may have in mind.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps he is taking to alleviate the unemployment of workers displaced through redundancy in Burntisland shipyard; what facilities he is providing for retraining them; and when they will be offered alternative employment.

Our local officers are trying to secure suitable alternative employment for these workers. My right hon. Friend intends to set up a Government training centre in Fife, which will provide local training facilities. I understand that the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company is expecting to lay down a new keel in early January when it would be in a position to take on a limited number of steel-workers.

Is the Minister aware that it is the Government's economic policy which is responsible for the tragic decline in the shipbuilding industry in this country and which has caused a great deal of this anxiety in Burntisland, where it is more or less the staple industry? While I am pleased to note that some retraining facilities are to be provided, the Minister was careful not to say when. If this is to be effective it will need to be done in the immediate future. While there may be some prospect of employment in January next year, it is still not sufficient fully to employ all those who have been declared redundant in the last nine months.

If the hon. Member looks at the world shipbuilding position he will not be able to say that the trouble in our shipyards is due entirely to the Government's policy. We hope that training facilities will be available very soon. I note what the hon. Member said about the employment position, and I accept that it is difficult in this area, but I can assure him that everything will be done to find the men suitable employment.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the total number of persons unemployed in the Burntisland, Kirkcaldy and Leven districts including the respective Youth Employment Offices at the latest available date in 1962; what were the comparable figures for 1961; and what percentage those figures represent of the insured population.

At 15th October, there were 209 workers unemployed at Burntisland, 1,151 at Kirkcaldy and 968 at Leven. The corresponding figures for 16th October, 1961, were 92, 803 and 646 respectively. Percentage rates can be provided only for the travel-to-work groups; these were, for the Dunfermline group 4.6 in October, 1962, and 3.0 in October, 1961; and for the Kirkcaldy group 5.2 and 3.3, respectively.

Surely these figures indicate and underline precisely and clearly just what I was aiming at in my previous Question about the rapid increase in unemployment in this area and the fact that the Local Employment Act has been quite ineffective in providing alternative employment in the area. Would the Minister consult the President of the Board of Trade to see when and how soon jobs will be coming out of the famous pipeline to try to employ some of my constituents in Burntisland who are unemployed?

Naturally we are in constant consultation on the problem of development districts. I do not think that it is entirely fair of the hon. Member to say that the Local Employment Act has brought no help to his area. I think that the figures would prove that the facts are very different. I would add that an advance factory is being set up at Cowdenbeath, and also that the large engineering shop on the Donibristle industrial estate is being converted for use as an advance factory.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of unemployed persons registering at employment exchanges in the County of Durham at the latest date, and the number of males, females and young persons, respectively.

The number was 30,255 at 15th October, comprising 21,739 men, 5,186 women, 2,282 boys and 1,048 girls.

Do not these figures create some anxiety in the right hon. Gentleman's mind? Is he aware that I have just been informed through the aegis of the Northern Echo, a paper which supports the Government, a very reputable newspaper organ, that a Sunderland firm is about to put 900 men out of employment through closing down one of its factories and that it proposes to concentrate production in a factory at Rochester, where unemployment is only 1 per cent.? Is he also aware of the intention of I.C.I. to contract very shortly? What does he intend to do about this very great problem in the North-East?

Again, I share the right hon. Gentleman's concern. As he fairly says, this is a considerable increase over the figure of last year. I also noted that this firm in Sunderland announced today that it is to close down. I am glad to say, however, that other jobs are being created, and although there is certainly no ground for complacency, one must recognise that a good deal is being done under the Local Employment Act. A good deal will also be done, I hope, to help the region in general by the acceleration of the road programme and also by the Government's recent announcement of the increase in public investment.

—

There is a Question specifically related to Sunderland later. I think hon. Members will be able to deal with it then.

Would the Minister do me a great favour and tell we where in my constituency jobs are available for men who become redundant and for the large number who are already unemployed, particularly the youths there? Will he tell us where they are?

I am trying to answer a Question which dealt with the County of Durham and which did not deal specifically with the right hon. Gentleman's constituency.

asked the Minister of Labour, how many men, women, boys, and girls, respectively, were registered as unemployed in the Bo'ness area on 15th October, 1962; and what unemployment percentages these represent.

The figures are 149 men, 122 women, seven boys, and eight girls. The total of 286 represents a percentage rate of 4.5.

In the light of the present rate, would the Minister consider making it into a scheduled area?

I can assure the hon. Member that the Government are constantly reviewing development districts in order to get the priorities right.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men, boys, women and girls, respectively, were registered as unemployed in the Bathgate area on 15th October, 1962; and what unemployment percentages these represent.

The figures are 1,344 men, 84 boys, 232 women and 46 girls. The total of 1,706 represents a percentage rate of 6.3.

In view of the rate of 6.3 per cent., would the Minister tell us when the advance factory which has been promised for the Whitburn area is likely to start being built?

I could not tell the hon. Member that. What I could tell him—and he will appreciate it, because it is relevant to the area—is that the British Motor Corporation at Bathgate is providing substantial employment and is still recruiting.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the rise in unemployment and short-time working in the Coventry area; and what action he is taking to deal with the situation.

Yes, I am aware of the substantial increase in the last month, almost entirely among workers temporarily stopped. My local officers are doing all they can to help those who are seeking alternative employment.

Does not this show a very serious natural trend in this area of normally high employment when the level of unemployment is today higher than it was in 1957? Is the hon. Member aware that more than 10,000 men were last week working short time? Is he further aware that in the near future 3,000 aircraft workers are threatened with redundancy? Is it not a case that it is not enough merely to improve the administrative arrangements at the employment exchange? Does not the situation now require in the Midlands area generally that the Government should take appropriate action in order to provide employment?

The major proportion of these workers who are temporarily stopped are in the motor-car and machine-tool industry. I will give the hon. Member a piece of good news. For those affected in the machine-tool industry full-time working is being resumed as from today, though all workers will not be back until Thursday. This will show an improvement over the figures which I have just given. On the general point of the motor-car industry, I think that these are problems which will be discussed in the debate this afternoon. I do not want to anticipate that debate.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he has taken since the report of National Youth Employment Council which stated that school leavers in the North-East faced the poorest prospects in the country.

The number of unemployed school leavers in the Northern Region, though still high, fell by over half between September and October. The Government are continuing to give every encouragement to industry to expand in the North-East. In the present difficult situation for young people, I am also proposing the establishment of a first year apprentice training course for unemployed boys.

If the hon. Gentleman and his colleagues cannot do anything about providing jobs in the North-East, may I ask whether he will accelerate training and consider consulting the National Coal Board and the British Transport Commission with a view to their providing apprentice training to absorb some of the unemployed boys so that they can become skilled workers?

As the hon. Gentleman probably knows, I am in touch with the National Coal Board and other firms who have suggested that they might be able to help out in apprenticeship training arrangements. I think the hon. Member must also be aware that I am negotiating with the trade unions about the setting up of the course which I have just mentioned. I want to carry everybody with me if I possibly can, and I shall be very grateful for any help that the hon. Member can give me.

asked the Minister of Labour what were the numbers of school leavers last July for the Northern Region; and how many have found employment.

Out of 23,400 school leavers, 2,100 were still registered for work on 15th October.

May I ask my right hon. Friend whether the speech made on Friday by the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance was sent to him in order that he might comment on it before it was made? Is he aware that the speech as reported in the Press was at complete variance with the attitude of my right hon. Friend's Department? Is he aware that I prefer my right hon. Friend's approach to that of the Minister who went up to the area on Friday? In future, can we please have Ministers coming into the area who know something about the problem and not have Ministers making speeches which are contrary to Government policy?

The part of that supplementary question, inviting the Minister to comment on the speech of another Minister, is out of order.

Why?

Because only the Prime Minister may be asked a question of that kind. I would have explained but I thought that the hon. Lady's experience extended to that.

I am always hopeful.

As my hon. Friend knows, I always like to come up to the North-East, and I hope to be there again before very long.

asked the Minister of Labour what were the num- bers of school leavers last July in the county borough of Tynemouth and the borough of Whitley Bay; and how many have found employment.

Fifty-two out of 805 school leavers were registered for employment on 15th October in Whitley Bay and Tynemouth.

Has my right hon. Friend ensured that during the debate which follows Questions today we shall really have a full and effective new statement of policy on what will happen to provide employment for those who are unemployed on the North-East Coast—a live policy?

I must disappoint my hon. Friend to the extent that, as I have not received the promotion which she so kindly offered to me, I cannot comment on what she says. I think that she will gain some limited satisfaction from the fact that 753 school leavers have been placed. We shall do our best to find opportunities for those who are still unemployed.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men and boys are registered as unemployed at the Bishop Auckland local office; what percentage rate this is; and how these figures compare with the same date in 1961 and with January, 1962.

At 15th October, 1962, 638 men and 162 boys. The percentage rate for men and boys in the South-West Dunham travel-to-work area was 65. The corresponding figures for October, 1961, and January, 1962, were 418 men, 28 boys and 3.9 per cent. and 573 men, 58 boys and 5.8 per cent., respectively.

But this is terrible. The Parliamentary Secretary deliberately left out the figure for the Bishop Auckland local office. The percentage is high as it is, but it must be even higher with the inclusion of that office. What are the Government doing about it? Can they not make representations about the power station in Durham and representations to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to clear away some of the derelict industrial rubbish in the area?

The hon. Member must be fair. He surely knows very weld that we do not quote percentage figures for specific local offices but for travel-to-work areas, and I think that he knows the reason Why. I share the hon. Member's concern about unemployment in the area. We are doing all we can to encourage industrial development and, as I think the hon. Member knows, there are some jobs in prospect.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress he is making in finding alternative employment in Dundee for workers redundant in the cash register industry.

Our local officers registered in advance of their discharge 171 of the 274 workers declared redundant, and 15 registered subsequently. Eight have been placed locally, seven have been put in touch with other employers, and 43 are known to have found work themselves. The prospects of alternative employment in the area are reasonably good.

While paying tribute to the work of local officers of the Ministry of Labour in finding alternative employment where they can, may I ask whether the hon. Gentleman is aware that this set-back underlines the Government's failure to provide any new engineering employment in Dundee for many years? Will not the Government make fresh efforts to give high priority to getting in some new engineering firms to take up this slack?

I am grateful to the hon. Member for what he said about the local officers, which I know is very well deserved. I share his concern about the problems of the area, and I can assure him that everything possible is being done to encourage industrial development of the type he has mentioned.

asked the Minister of Labour what consultations he is having with the Tay Road Bridge Joint Committee and with the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board to ensure that in respect of building the Tay Road Bridge and the proposed new generating station at Dundee the maximum number of local workers is employed.

Consultation with the Tay Road Bridge Joint Committee is maintained by the Manager of the Dundee Employment Exchange through his membership of the Lord Provost's Development Committee. My Scottish Headquarters is in touch with the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board. Every effort will be made to place local unemployed when labour demands arise on these projects.

Would the Minister bear in mind that Dundee is an isolated industrial centre and that if people cannot find jobs there they have to move or break up their homes to find jobs elsewhere? Will the right hon. Gentleman make sure that where there are big public works projects no workers are brought in to do work that can be done by local people?

I will look into what the hon. Member has said. I would not go as far as that, but I hope that these projects will help the local employment position in Dundee.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he has taken to reduce unemployment among school leavers in Sunderland in the last three months.

Of the 1,737 school leavers in the county borough of Sunderland in July, 121, or 7 per cent., were registered for employment on 15th October; the Youth Employment Service is doing everything possible to find them suitable jobs.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that one of the possibilities of ameliorating this situation would be if employers and trade unionists could agree to some scheme to take super-numery apprentices, with no automatic guarantee of a job at the end of the day, but with at least the hope of reducing the immediate impact of this situation and thereby creating the further skilled labour which Britain will dramatically need in the next twenty years?

My hon. Friend has mentioned this matter before, and I am grateful to him. I am interested in it and will pursue it with both sides of industry.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he has taken to reduce unemployment in Sunderland in the last three months.

My local officers have continued to try to place unemployed workers in suitable employment.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that speeches such as that made by the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance in Newcastle last week are inclined to undermine all the good work that has been done by the Government over recent months? Is he aware that if speeches of this nature are to be made there will be no chance of mending this situation? Is he aware that those of us who represent north-eastern divisions are bitterly resentful of this speech and hope that something can be done to correct the impression it has created?

Is the Prime Minister coming to answer?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Minister of Pensions, since he was previously at the Board of Trade, is largely responsible for the neglect we have suffered in Sunderland? Is he aware that in addition to the question of the 900 jobs at Thorn's we have 6 per cent. unemployed, but in spite of this we receive no assistance under the Local Employment Act? When will the right hon. Gentleman see the President of the Board of Trade and see that Sunderland is taken off the stop list and put back on the effective list?

I have mentioned the fact, as I think the hon. Member knows, that there will be this contraction at Thorn-A.I.E. but I think that this situation will be helped a little by the intake of female labour at the new Perdio factory. I believe that it will ease the situation somewhat. As for the general situation of Sunderland as a development district, as my hon. Friend explained earlier, these priorities are being constantly looked at and I will bear in mind what the hon. Member has said.

In view of the unsatisfactory reply just received, I beg to give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment tomorrow night.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the total number of unemployed in Ayrshire; and how many of these are registered in districts not scheduled under the Local Employment Act.

On 15th October, 5,637 of whom 2,484 are not in development districts.

Is it not evident from these figures that the Local Employment Act is not effective in dealing with the Ayrshire problem? Will the Parliamentary Secretary bear in mind that the situation is going to be aggravated by further losses of employment in the mines and on the railways, and will he say what the Government are going to do about it? I ask him not to, tell me that they are going to do "all we can".

I am not going to tell the hon. Gentleman that. What I am going to tell him is this. He is always screaming for the right priorities and that is exactly what the Government are trying to do in operating the Local Employment Act. The figures do not bear out what the hon. Gentleman said. In Ayrshire as a whole the rate of unemployment was 4.4 per cent., and in the areas which are not development districts the rate was 3.2 per cent. It would seem, therefore, that the priorities are going somewhat right.

What are the Government going to do with the 2,484 unemployed who are outwith the scheduled areas?

We are going to do our best to place them in suitable employment. Also, as the hon. Gentleman must be aware, it is possible to travel some distance to some of the places outside the development districts where jobs are available in the travel-to-work areas.

Can the hon. Gentleman tell me where there are jobs—

I think this must be a question for the hon. Gentleman's next one.

asked the Minisiter of Labour if he will state the number of unemployed in Hull and the number who are disabled; and what steps are being taken to reduce the number and to train disabled persons for employment.

There are 4,034 unemployed of whom 673 are disabled. Our local officers are doing everything possible to find suitable work for the unemployed. Training can be arranged for suitable disabled persons in Government training centres, in residential colleges for the disabled and in technical colleges.

Why does the Minister not have a thorough investigation into the unemployment situation in Hull with the object of using all the resources of the State to reduce unemployment by thousands, or else inform the fit unemployed that in the Tory affluent society there will be no employment for them in Hull and advise them to move to other employment areas, or, alternatively, to emigrate to Australia and Canada because there is no work expected for them in Hull?

The hon. and gallant Gentleman has been urging something which has actually been done, as these figures will show. In October, 1961, the unemployment percentage in Hull was 2.8 and in October, 1962, the unemployment percentage was 2.6. So we have moved in that direction.

Is the hon. Gentleman satisfied that the training which is given to disabled men equips them for work? Will he study carefully the two cases, details of which I have sent to him, in which expensive training courses have been given to men who have been unable to get work afterwards?

I will do that. I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman that it is of vital importance when considering training facilities to get the people placed at the end. Particularly with the disabled a great deal is done. However, I shall be only too pleased to consider the cases which the hon. Gentleman has mentioned.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps are being taken in Hull to train unemployed persons for existing vacancies for employment.

Training in various trades is available in Government training centres for suitable unemployed persons from Hull. The nearest centre to Hull is at Leeds.

Why not check double employment in Hull and also get employers to engage trainees, instead of relying on a regular pool of unemployed from which to obtain casual labour and then discharging them again like slaves in a slave market?

I do not think the hon. and gallant Gentleman really expects me to accept what he has said.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if, in view of the over-fished state of the North Sea and other near-water grounds, he will, in conjunction with other Ministers concerned, seek to arrange an early meeting of Ministers representing nations whose fishermen traditionally use these waters, with the object of conserving the common heritage.

Measures for conservation in these waters are dealt with internationally under the 1946 Convention against overfishing in the North Eastern Atlantic, to which all North Sea fishery nations adhere. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and the Permanent Commission set up under the terms of the 1946 Convention provide machinery for dealing with these problems and we shall continue to support their efforts. I therefore do not think that anything would be gained by convening a special meeting of Ministers.

Is it not a fact that the Coalition Government during the war, in spite of all their other preoccupations, took time to bring this International Council into being? That was seventeen or eighteen years ago. The North Sea now cannot produce paying voyages, and the problem is common to all the nations. Does my right hon. Friend realise that it is not good enough for the Government to sit back and go on hoping that something will turn up?

There is no doubt whatever about the importance of this matter, and, as my hon. Friend has said, it concerns all nations. My hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that, as a result of proposals made by the United Kingdom Government, the Permanent Commission, one of the organisations to which I referred in my Answer, agreed at its last meeting on further conservation measures to be introduced next year. These deal with the closer regulation of the use of small mesa nets. It is considering other measures also, and the Commission will next meet in London in May, 1963.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that, during the last year or two, many nations have, quite unilaterally, fixed new fishing limits which have reacted very badly against the industry in this country, with the consequence that the Scottish fishing industry is in a parlous plight today? What steps is he taking to preserve the industry? We know that it must be done internationally, but speedy action must be taken if the industry is to be saved.

I realise the importance of that also, but it is a much wider question. I was dealing with the specific matter raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Sir D. Robertson) in regard to conservation.

Will my right hon. Friend tell us what the Commission is doing actively to encourage steps to increase stocks of fish, quite apart from measures to restrict the size of mesh and so on? Does not my right hon. Friend realise that the fishing industries in this area ace in the Stone Age in their attitude towards the conservation of fish, compared with what is done in agriculture? More positive measures need to be taken. What is the United Kingdom doing?

If my hon. Friend puts down a Question about measures to increase fish stocks, I will give her details in a specific Answer.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether Her Majesty's Government intend to recognise the new Government in the Yemen.

I have nothing to add to my remarks on this subject during the debate on the Address on 31st October.

How strong and how stable have the new Government to be before they can be recognised? Have not Her Majesty's Government recognised Governments far less strong and stable than this in the past? Is the reason that this one happens to be supported by President Nasser, of whom, for obvious reasons, Her Majesty's Government are not particularly fond? Will the right hon. Gentleman say, at least, that the Government are glad that some of the worse excesses of feudalism are being ended by the present Government in the Yemen?

I dealt with this at some length in my speech on the Address last Wednesday. I think that the criteria for recognition are well known to the right hon. Gentleman. Broadly speaking, the regime must have effective control over much the greater part of the country. As the House knows, Her Majesty's Government have been endeavouring to rehabilitate relations with President Nasser. The question of the nature of the regime is not in issue in recognition, as is widely recognised throughout the world. The question of the control exercised by the regime throughout the country is one of the major criteria.

Whatever is done about recognition, will the Government, in view of the British interests in this area, raise the question of the threat of war with Saudi Arabia in the United Nations at an early date?

I have seen newspaper reports of this, but one must have more reliable information before one can give an answer to a question like that.

In view of reports this morning that there is a state of war between the Yemen and Saudi Arabia, will my right hon. Friend make a statement about recognition, or does he say that we are not prepared to recognise this Government?

I have no statement to make on the reports to which my hon. Friend refers.

Does the Lord Privy Seal say that, with all our interests there, we have not got reliable information about what is happening in the Yemen, that we have not got reliable information about whether an Egyptian army has arrived there and we have not got reliable information about whether an Egyptian navy is operating off the coast? If so, what on earth are we doing there?

I am saying that, at the moment, we have no reliable reports about a state of war between Saudi Arabia and the Yemen.

In view of the failure of the Minister to answer any of these questions at all properly, I beg to give notice that I shall seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment at the earliest opportunity.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the resignation of Sir Hugh Foot.

Sir Hugh Foot asked to be released from his post with the United Kingdom Mission at the beginning of this Session, and his request was approved with effect from 15th October.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that many millions of people throughout the world are grateful for the courage of Sir Hugh Foot in deciding that he can no longer be the representative supporting the policies of Her Majesty's Government in Rhodesia?

Answer.

In view of the Lord Privy Seal's cowardice in refusing to give an answer—

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is it in order for the hon. Member to accuse my right hon. Friend of cowardice? Is not that a proscribed word inside and outside the House?

It is not in order for the hon. Gentleman so to describe the Minister's conduct. I ask him to withdraw the epithet.

In view of your Ruling, Mr. Speaker, I gladly withdraw the remark.

Is not the Lord Privy Seal aware that Sir Hugh Foot's reputation stands very high on both sides of the House and in the world as a whole? Will he accept as a very serious criticism of Her Majesty's Government's policy in relation to Southern Rhodesia that Sir Hugh Foot should have found it quite incompatible with his dignity as a human being to speak for it at the United Nations?