asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he has completed his special study of the redeployment of labour from the aircraft industry.

No, Sir. The Study is not yet complete.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the study has been promised for so long that people are beginning to doubt whether it is taking place at all?

I assure the hon. Gentleman that the study is proceeding. I think that there can be two views on this. My feeling is that the value of the study will be increased by the delay.

Can my right hon. Friend say whether it is correct that if the arrangements recently announced materialise we may have to redeploy 100,000 men at present employed in the aircraft industry?

I cannot tell what event my hon. Friend is referring to, but if he puts down a Question on this later I shall be only too pleased to try to find the answer.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what expenditure has been incurred by his Department in the past three years in analysing the causes of the brain drain and attempting to reverse it.

None, Sir. The main support for the Jones Committee's work on this subject was provided by the Ministry of Technology and the Department of Education and Science.

Assuming that the Department of Economic Affairs is asked to give advice, will the right hon. Gentleman say whether the best advice that he can give is that people will stay here only when the society is worth while in their view, and that before that happens there must be considerable fiscal and political changes?

I think that there are many factors, as the Jones Committee's Report suggested, which bear on the decision of individual men and women to leave this country. I would not place as much weight on the fiscal system as the hon. Gentleman does.

Is my right hon. Friend aware of a particularly flagrant attempt by the American Westinghouse Corporation to induce senior British scientists to leave Dounreay, and is he aware that they will be susceptible to these approaches so long as the Atomic Energy Authority remains unclear about the future of its research work at that establishment?

Yes, Sir, I have seen these reports. I have also seen the speech of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Technology, to whom I think the latter part of my hon. Friend's question ought to be directed.

In view of the criticisms made by the Prime Minister about British industry, following the Report of the Jones Committee, do the Government intend to ask the nationalised industries to give a lead in paying much higher salaries to qualified scientists and engineers?

That is a different question, but clearly the whole of industry, both public and private, will have to consider very carefully the conclusions reached by the Jones Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the resignation of Mr. Grierson as chief executive of the Industrial Re-organisation Corporation.

On 27th October, Mr. Ronald Grierson tendered, and I accepted, his resignation as Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of the I.R.C. The reasons for the resignation were made clear in the published exchange of letters beween Mr. Grierson and myself.

Would the Minister confirm that the main reason for Mr. Grierson's resignation, as stated in an article in the Spectator, was dissatisfaction with the Government's Industrial Expansion Bill and considerable dissatisfaction with the relationship between Government and industry, which has made his job totally impossible?

All I can say is that no such implication emerges from his letter of resignation.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs by what date he expects departmental consideration of the report of the South-West Economic Planning Council, A Region with a Future, to be completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when the Government's views on the Draft Strategy for the South-West will be published and made available to the public.

The recommendations in the Economic Planning Council's report are under active consideration and the Government's reply will be given to the Council as soon as possible.

Can my hon. Friend assure the House that these considerations will be completed urgently, because the continuing uncertainty, especially about the boundaries of the development area, the spine road to the South-West and industrial development in the far South-West, is giving rise to real difficulty and damaging the economy in the development area?

I can give my hon. Friend that assurance, but he will appreciate that some of the points raised in the report raise issues the implications of which extend far beyond the boundaries of the South-West.

Can my hon. Friend possibly go a little further today and give the House at least an idea that the Department will deal speedily with the growth points which are needed in the South-West? Further, is the resignation of the Chairman of the South- Western Regional Planning Council likely to affect his Department's consideration?

The answer to the second part of the question is, no, Sir. My right hon. Friend and I had discussions with the Chairman on 8th November. As for the speed of progress, I can assure my hon. Friend that no time will be wasted.

The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the report said that the spine road was the key to the problems of the South-West. What progress has been made with that road in the life of this Government?

That question—

None.

—will have to be put to the Ministry of Transport. It was one of the matters discussed last week with Professor Tress.

When his Department has completed its deliberations, will it implement speedily those items in the report with which the Government agree?

The items with which we agree will be implemented with the speed necessary for their effect on the area.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what steps he is taking to appoint a successor to Professor Tress as chairman of the South West Economic Planning Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whom he is appointing to succeed Professor R. C. Tress as Chairman of the South West Economic Planning Council.

Professor Tress does not formally relinquish his appointment as Chairman of the South West Economic Planning Council until April 1968. In the coming months I shall be giving careful consideration to the appointment of his successor.

In view of the importance of continuity in this post, will my right hon. Friend say by what date he expects to make the appointment? Will he resist any claims from any particular area within the region in this matter, remem- bering that we want the best possible man for the job, from wherever he may come?

My hon. Friend is right to insist that we have the best possible man for this appointment, rather than be influenced by the claims of particular areas. I hope to be able to establish a suitable successor in the next few months.

In view of the fact that so little action has been taken under the present Chairman, will the Minister see that someone who really understands the problems of the South West is appointed, remembering that we want action quickly?

I do not believe that the hon. Lady really means to be discourteous to Professor Tress, who has, by general agreement, done a splendid job in the South West. [Interruption.] I believe that the report has been widely welcomed as a constructive contribution to thinking about the problems of the region. I shall, of course, try to find a suitable person to succeed him.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what action he will take to assist the South West Economic Planning Council to make specific proposals for the Northern Sub-Region that includes Bristol, in view of the fact that there were no such proposals in the plan, A Region with a Future.

The proposals of the South West Economic Planning Council for the Northern Sub-Region have already been set out in paragraphs 406–411 of its Report.

Is not the Minister aware that in the Report it was stated that any conclusions of this kind for the Northern Sub-Region, which includes Bristol, Swindon and these areas, could not be arrived at? Will he take steps to see that action of the kind that is needed is taken? Does he appreciate that it is not a question of implementing a report, because we have not even got the proposals yet?

The point made in the Report was that until the Severnside study had been completed, a detailed, comprehensive strategy was not possible. On the other hand, it was pointed out that the existing plans of local authorities for the northern area were at present inadequate. The Council is itself initiating moves to co-ordinate the work of the planning authorities with a view to meeting the foreseeable needs.

rose—

No. 27, Dame Joan Vickers.

On a point of order. Is there any criterion about the number of supplementaries you accept when there is great interest in a matter, Mr. Speaker?

This is a difficult task and I do the best I can. Dame Joan Vickers.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, in view of the resignation of the Chairman of the South-West Economic Planning Council, if he will now consider moving the office of the Council from Bristol to Plymouth.

No, Sir. These two matters are not connected.

Will the hon. Gentleman consider putting the office in Plymouth, because the South-West is the area in which there is the most need for development? Is he aware that Bristol is a very rich area and that we in the far south-west want attention directed to our problems?

I perfectly understand the hon. Lady's interest in this matter, but I am sure she appreciates that it is imperative, for the efficient working of these councils, that they should be near the regional offices of Departments—and this one is in Bristol.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs whether he will make arrangements for the Hunt Committee to visit the areas of the country having below average incomes.

It is for the Committee to decide whether visits to any type of area will help them in their inquiries. My Department is, of course, ready to assist in making any arrangements the Committee may need.

Bearing in mind that low earnings must be the main factor to be considered by the Hunt Committee, does the Minister not agree that a visit to areas such as Norfolk to see the difficulties encountered by many thousands of people is essential if the problem is to be understood fully.

This is a matter for the Committee to decide. It has invited evidence, but should it feel that that written evidence could be supplemented usefully by visits to the area, no doubt it will consider such a proposal.

When does the Minister expect the Report of this Committee?

That is another question. I am not able yet to give an effective answer, because the Committee had its initial meeting only in October of this year.

Can the Minister clear up one point? If we are to have, overall, a larger measure of unused resources, and if the development areas are to do better, does it not follow that the Government have in practice abandoned the grey areas?

I am not quite clear how the right hon. Gentleman has arrived at that conclusion, nor on what he bases the assumptions on which the latter part of his question was put.

On the Chancellor's speech.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what progress has been made by the Committee set up under Sir Joseph Hunt to consider the question of grey areas; and when the Committee is likely to report.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs when he anticipates receiving the report of the Committee set up under the chairmanship of Sir Joseph Hunt; and if he will make a statement.

I would refer my hon. Friends to the Answer given on 9th November to similar Questions by my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster (Mr. Henig) and the hon. and learned Member for Darwen (Mr. Fletcher-Cooke).—[Vol. 753, c. 1235–7.]

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this Report in anxiously awaited in South Wales, particularly in Newport, which employs many people from the mining valleys of Monmouthshire, and that firms in the town are waiting for this Report before deciding on future development plans?

I have already made it clear that the Hunt Committee will produce its report as quickly as possible. Of course we know, as does the Hunt Committee, just how welcome any early report would be.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in Derbyshire we, too, are patiently waiting for this report but that our patience is fast running out? In Derbyshire we have 7 per cent. unemployment in one of the grey areas, and by the time that we get the report our percentage will be higher than that of most of the development districts in the country?

The Committee was set up only this summer. It was announced in July and formed during the summer, and it met for the first time on 5th October. The Committee is getting ahead as quickly as it possibly can.

What will the Hunt Committee find out which his Department and the regional economic planning councils do not already know?

One of the points with which it will need to deal is the criteria by which one can define an intermediate area. As the hon. Member may have noticed from Questions on the subject, hon. Members are speaking against a background of very different conditions in different parts of the country, and there is a big job to be done of analysis before proposals can be made.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make a statement on the rôle of the Industrial Re-organisation Corporation in the proposed merger between General Electric Company and Associated Electrical Industries.

No, Sir.

While welcoming G.E.C.'s success, surely it must be wrong for a statutory corporation to become involved in recommending a take-over bid? Would the Minister consider laying down the kind of criteria on which the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation can intervene in future cases?

It is right that the Corporation itself should decide its policy towards particular proposals. Therefore, that was really a question for the Corporation.

Is the Minister aware that this merger is a very serious matter for those of us who have A.E.I. factories in our constituencies? What assurances did the Government seek through the I.R.C. about the future welfare of those factories?

The I.R.C. knows of the Government's concern for the objectives of regional policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will publish a statement of the planning assumptions on which the National Plan is being prepared.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what progress has been made in the preparation of the Government's proposed National Plan; when it is expected to be produced; and if he will make a statement.

Planning work is proceeding and I hope to have a further substantive discussion in N.E.D.C. on the basis of this work early in January. This discussion will be confidential and I cannot make any statement at this stage about the likely date or content of any future published document.

That did not answer the Question, which was, what are the planning assumptions on which they are working? Surely, after 15 months of cooking-up the second edition of the National Plan, some planning assumptions must be known. Why is the public denied the industrial and business experience of the right hon. Gentleman? Have these planning assumptions been blown off course, or what?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, one of the factors in making firm assumptions is the likely behaviour of the balance of payments—[Interruption.] I would have thought that hon. Gentlemen on all sides of the House would have recognised the importance of that factor in planning. Quite clearly, in the last few months there have been a number of unexpected developments. I refer particularly to the effect on our balance of payments of the Arab-Israeli war and the consequences there.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman realise that the whole basis of planning is to examine alternative assumptions so that the different policies can be appraised? Can he confirm that the idea of setting a main target as a basis for the assumptions, which was the basis of the Government's abortive plan, has been abandoned completely, and that in future it will be based not merely on a target but on industrial expectations?

The next plan could usefully include both those approaches.

Will my right hon. Friend tell the House what National Plan he is talking about? Is it the old one, and is it to be resurrected, or is it a new one? If it is new, will it go the same way as the old one did?

It is on that latter point that, clearly, we would wish to do all that we could to avoid that contingency.

Can the Minister tell us whether Parliament is to have a chance of re-examining the assumptions or underlying thinking in the new plan before it appears as a finished document?

I hope to be able, though I cannot say when, to report to the House. It will be as soon as I can after I have had consultations with the N.E.D.C.

Can my right hon. Friend indicate whether the new plan will concern itself not only with indicative planning but with physical planning on the basis of some Socialist direction of industry into the areas which really need it?

The planning measures, as distinct from the framework of the plan, have been pursued as originally laid down in the 1965 plan. Not only have they been pursued; they have been reinforced by various legislative acts of this Government during the past year.

Will the Minister clearly repudiate what has just been said by his hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Heffer) and make it quite clear that there is no question either of the direction of labour or of industry in the Government's thoughts?

There is no intention to direct labour, but when the right hon. Gentleman says that there should be no direction of industry, he must take account of the fact that so far as a substantial sector of industry is concerned—the public sector—the Government have considerable ability to influence location, and it would be wrong if they did not consider how best to use this.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what steps are being taken to alleviate unemployment in the South-Western Region this winter.

The South West Region as a whole will benefit from the moderate measures of reflation which the Government have already taken. The programme of minor public works authorised for the development areas, will help to alleviate unemployment in the South-Western Development Area. The work which can be carried out there this winter should amount to £1·9 million.

I thank my hon. Friend for that very welcome news, but will he still keep in mind the need to bolster even that programme a little more this winter, dealing more with communications and social works of various kinds, particularly building, which will be very valuable to stop unemployment, which will be above average?

In addition to these measures, there will be the initial effect of the regional employment premium, and the underlying trend, seasonally adjusted, for unemployment is showing an improvement in that region. The figures of I.D.C.s approved so far this year show that in the first three quarters approvals totalled more than in the full 12 months of last year.

Would the hon. Gentleman realise that not only is there concern about unemployment but that all aspects concerned with the South-West are creating so much concern among South-West Members that it would be worth while to have a debate on the whole subject? Unless he does not want the views of hon. Members, would he appeal to the Leader of the House for such a debate?

The hon. Member must be aware that we have held meetings with Members for the areas concerned. We have one such meeting today in respect of another region. The business of the House is not under my control. There have been debates on this in the past.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will make an examination of the placing of Government contracts with a view to work being directed to the Northern Region and other development districts.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will state the capital value of Government contracts placed in the Northern Region in each year since 1960 and the nature of such contracts; what is the estimate for the current year; and what steps he proposes to take to secure greater direction to the Region.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what action has been and is being taken regarding the placing of Government contracts with a view to alleviating unemployment in Sunderland.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what special action, including the placing of orders by Government and nationalised industries, is being taken to reduce the heavy male unemployment in South Shields and other parts of Tyneside.

As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer explained in answer to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Cardigan (Mr. Elystan Morgan) on 7th November, firms in development areas are invited to tender for Government contracts wherever possible: if they are not successful in obtaining the whole order they are given part of it provided they can meet a specified price and their offer is satisfactory otherwise. The operation of this scheme is being kept under review. Sunderland, South Shields and Tyneside, like the rest of the Northern Region, stand to benefit from this scheme as well as from the substantial measures of regional assistance which are now available.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that, while we welcome his Answer, it does not go far enough, and that what is needed is an examination of the methods of Government agencies and Departments in placing orders and seeing that firms in these areas are not only encouraged but assisted to have these contracts?

I agree with my hon. Friend. Government procurement policy is already aimed at contributing as effectively as possible to regional development policy and we will continue to examine whether more can be done in that respect. The nationalised industries are, of course, well aware of the Government's regional policies, and in the recent fuel White Paper the Government made it clear that they

"… expect the fuel industries to use their purchasing power to support regional development wherever practical."

I also thank my right hon. Friend for his Reply. Is he aware that, as a result of the implications of the White Paper to which he referred, the responsibilities devolving upon him for the creation of more jobs are increasing? Is he also aware that there is a large area of unused factory space in the Northern Region, some of which would be admirably suited for the channelling of Government contracts of this kind?

Yes, Sir. My hon. Friend will, of course, know that we are now designating special areas even within the development areas, and we will do every-think possible to attract more industry into such areas. We are well aware of the problem of empty factories. The Board of Trade and other Departments are now extensively advertising the fact that they are available and we will do everything possible to see that they are tenanted.

In his examination of this difficult problem, will my right hon. Friend consider the possibility of establising machinery to provide for a sensible discrimination in favour of particular firms in places of especial difficulty?

This depends on the type of firm which becomes available. I was looking at one in my hon. Friend's constituency the other day which was utterly admirable, as it did highly skilled work. The directors told me that they would not go back to the South or the Midlands even if the opportunity presented itself. We want the firms, in other words, which will go in and provide highly skilled and technologically based industry. The wider that we can advertise this and the many advantages offered by the Government now the better.

Has my right hon. Friend been in special contact with the Ministry of Defence about defence contracts, which could be of considerable importance to factories on Tyneside, my constituency among them, where there is a great shortage of labour and uneconomic use at present of the available machinery?

Yes, Sir. All the Government Departments with contracts to let are looking at this important point urgently, and we do not despair of getting a bigger number there.

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that, if the Government had not been so foolish as to deflate the areas with high unemployment, we would not now face the terrible problems of trying to reflate them?

The hon. Gentleman's question is misplaced. Contrary to the actions of the Tory Government, we did not deliberately deflate—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."]

When the right hon. Gentleman talks about procurement policy and the location of industry, is he having proper regard for the fact that his own party's proposal is to diminish the coal mining labour force by 300,000 men in eight years? Can he re-employ all these in other industries by means of these policies?

The Government's policy is to expend a great deal of public money on getting the coal industry viable.

Would the right hon. Gentleman give us some idea of the statistics on which future reports will be based? Is he aware that just this week the Chairman of the Northern Economic Planning Council publicly complained that he was not told of the Government's intentions and plans for the northern coalfields until the end of last week, and then by Lord Robens? Does this not make a nonsense of Labour's economic planning policy?

No, Sir, it does not. The Chairman in question knew of the Government's plans, but he did not know of the projections—if I may call them that—of those plans produced by Lord Robens.

Is my right hon. Friend really aware that in the past ten years areas like the one which I have the honour to represent have been physically and socially demoralised by pit closures? Is he further aware that they have been gobbled up, as though by a greedy duck in a pit pond, without engendering any activity or a new industrial base? Would he not be prepared to visit the area to see for himself what needs to be done?

I am prepared to come, as my hon. Friend knows, but the special arrangements announced by my right hon. Friend a week or two ago comprise a far greater degree of effort by Government than anything ever seen in Britain before.

Following on the question of my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North (Mr. R. W. Elliott), what level of unemployment do the Government regard as acceptable in the region covered by this report this winter and, in the long run, after redeployment?

The hon. Member will be glad to know that the actual incidence of unemployment, seasonally adjusted, is falling and not rising.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what proposals he has to reduce the unemployment situation in the Northern Region this winter; and what conclusions he has drawn from his recent official visit to the area.

As my right hon. Friend informed the House on 1st November, a substantial programme of minor public works has been authorised for the development areas this winter. The work to be carried out in the Northern Region during this period should amount to about £7 million. In addition, payment of regional employment premium began in October and will be worth about £28 million in the year for the Region. These measures, together with the deferment of certain pit closures planned for this winter, will go a considerable way to alleviating the unemployment situation in the Region this winter.

Will my right hon. Friend take note of two further points following my expression of gratitude for his very comprehensive statement in answer to my Question? First, will he examine the possibility of bringing forward any Government contracts which are still outstanding? Secondly, will he please look again at the B.O.T.A.C. applications so as not to make the mistake made under the Hailsham Report and instead, to ascertain the viability of these firms, because in the area—

Speech.

—in the area—

Order. Other hon. Members have Questions to put.

We do not want in the area firms such as pitch fibre pipes which cost shareholders in my constituency and elsewhere many thousands of pounds.

I agree with my hon. Friend that we need firms of substance to go into the area. Of course, the gentleman who advises from B.O.T.A.C. must make quite sure of the position. On the other hand, we hope that the procedure can be somewhat streamlined. To answer the second part of my hon. Friend's supplementary, he will know that the £7 million to which I referred can be spent on road work and so on and that this could possibly assist some factories which at the moment are unoccupied because of the lack of communications.

Are the Government making a study with a view to implementing that part of our programme which promised to set up publicly-owned firms to occupy some of the factories which are at present standing idle and which were built by public money?

Yes, Sir. We are studying every possible angle in this matter. I have answered Questions today about private enterprise and the part that the nationalised industries can play. We will also study the public sector in the way sought by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what action has been taken on the report presented on outstanding problems on the North-East Coast.

The only recent Report of which I am aware is the Northern Economic Planning Council's regional study: "Challenge of the Changing North". A copy of the Government's reply has been placed in the Library of the House.

Does that reply mean, as this is a very old Report, that the Government have not had a report either from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster or from Lord Robens on the position of the coal industry? Why is he talking about a dead duck report when what we want and are waiting for is decision on certain problems which have been spread all over the North of England?

I am sorry that the hon. Lady thinks that the Report is a dead duck. We do not. We are working on a number of recommendations and the Northern Planning Council is working on others. So far I have visited the region on only two occasions, and I do not feel myself competent to issue a comprehensive report.

Is the Minister aware that, unlike hon. Members opposite, I think that "Challenge of the Changing North" is a handsome swan? Is he further aware that we in the regions are extremely disappointed that up to now none of these first-class recommendations has been accepted and implemented? Will he give a guarantee that he will look again at this Report in order to implement some of the very fine recommendations contained in it?

I do not agree that none of the recommendations is being implemented. At least three of them which were directed to the Government are in the course of implementation. A number of the recommendations were not to the Government but were for organisations within the region and for the Planning Council, and they, too, are being implemented.

Will the Minister now say what level of unemployment he regards as acceptable?

We are not accepting any level of unemployment. We are trying to get rid of all of it.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what action he is taking pursuant to the visit of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to Sunderland.

We are pursuing the matters raised during my visit with the Departments concerned.

Have the Government made any progress in one of the matters which he raised—the possibility of the Government placing direct orders for merchant shipping?

I cannot give a report to the House about that issue. The matters which I discussed in Sunderland will depend largely on the speed with which we can get the shipping firms themselves to act together on these matters, and obviously I am unable to report about that at this stage.

Is it not obvious that the private sector in industry has failed to react in any quantity to the many financial inducements placed before it to move into the area? Does not this make out a case that the Government should use far more its sanction of Government purchasing power?

I hope that my hon. Friend heard my last Answer on this subject. It is far too soon to say that private industry has not accepted the added inducements of the last few weeks. As I have said, we shall do everything we can about procurement policy, and the nationalised industries are co-operating.

Have not the Government yet hoisted it on board that the effect of the inducements which they have introduced is substantially less than that of the inducements which they have replaced, and that, in particular, the loss of free depreciation in the development districts is a substantial loss which the Government have done nothing to make up?

That last inducement was not introduced until the winter of 1963. As a matter of fact, the Conservative Government gave no inducements. They deliberately ran down the development areas.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs why no members of the majority party on the Greater London Council have been invited to serve on the South-East Economic Planning Council.

The members of the economic planning councils are appointed as individuals and not on a representative basis. Local authority changes do not therefore automatically lead to changes in the membership of planning councils. However, my right hon. Friend fully recognises the unique rôle of the Greater London Council in the affairs of the South-East and the value of close co-operation with the Economic Planning Council. He therefore proposes to appoint an additional member to the Council.

While thanking the Minister for that reply, may I ask whether he appreciates that when such matters as road networks and town planning are being discussed it is important that the voice of the Greater London Council should be heard? In that respect, may we thank him for his reply?

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what proposals he has to prevent further deterioration of the grey areas in Yorkshire.

The prospects of these areas will improve with the coming upswing in the economy of the country as a whole, but I am continuing to study their problems.

Does my right hon. Friend realise that in Yorkshire we are very much dissatisfied with the Government's lack of attention to the grey areas of the region? Is he not further aware that, due to the closing down of the older industries, in the next decade these grey areas will become black areas? May we expect early results from the attention which we hope we shall be given?

It is precisely because the Government recognised that there were areas of the country outside the development areas which had deep-seated problems that they took the step of setting up the Hunt Committee. I have reason to believe that the Yorkshire and Humberside Council will be submitting evidence to the Hunt Committee on parts of the Yorkshire region.

asked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will state his plans for the further development of the trade, industry and commerce and employment resulting from and following the recent visit to northeast Scotland of the First Secretary of State.

The Government already have a wide-ranging plan to improve economic conditions in Scotland and the recent performance of the economy there shows that it is beginning to work.

Does not my hon. Friend realise that the present plans are quite inadequate and that they are not stopping the drift South of trade, industry and employment? Will he devise new plans to solve the problem of improving the economic situation of North-East Scotland?

I believe that the measures that have been taken to assist Scotland, as well as other development areas, will have the effects which we all want, will particularly lead to a reduction of unemployment and will lead to the growth of the economy in Scotland. I have noticed, as my hon. and learned Friend no doubt has, that the relative position in Scotland has, on the whole, been rather better than in other development areas. That is certainly the case at this stage.

Does the hon. Gentleman recognise that the most effective and thoughtful part in any such plans for the North of Scotland would be the suspension during this winter of the Selective Employment Tax?

That may be the view of the hon. Gentleman, but I am sure that he has no evidence with which to support it.

On a point of order.

Order. I hope that the hon. Lady will wait until the end of Question Time to put her point of order.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.