asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage increase in unemployment among draughtsmen in the 12 months ending June, 1971.

Between June, 1970, and June, 1971, the numbers of wholly unemployed men aged 18 years and over in Great Britain who were registered for employment as draughtsmen increased by 2,142 or 185·5 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to increase provisions for training unemployed unskilled workers to fit them for skilled or semiskilled vacancies.

Yes. As announced in "Training for the Future", there will be a large increase in the scope and scale of training facilities.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has for encouraging the retraining of older workers.

My right hon. Friend has announced a massive expansion of training facilities, which will offer older men and women in common with other workers much wider opportunities for retraining.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will improve the methods of advising his local offices of the technologies and technical means by which a handicapped person's communication problems for employment can be overcome; if he will give greater publicity to the needs for problem solving in all his local offices; if he will consider holding a symposium on problem solving for all his officers concerned; and if he will make a statement.

Disablement resettlement officers receive special guidance about deafness and work closely with social workers for the deaf. I am satisfied that disablement resettlement officers are sufficiently informed of technological developments relevant to their resettlement work.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what records are kept of the methods by which the specific individual employment problems of the physically handicapped are overcome; how such information is stored and distributed to the various local offices of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

A record of every substantially disabled person dealt with by my Department, together with particulars of his resettlement history, is maintained at the local office at which he is registered for employment. Where the solution of an employment problem contains features likely to be of general interest particulars are circulated through regional and sometimes national bulletins. Particular cases are also discussed at case-working sessions during a disablement resettlement officer's advanced training, and also at area and regional group meetings of officers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment by how much unemployment has risen since 18th June, 1970.

Between June, 1970, and January, 1972, the total number registered as unemployed in Great Britain, including school-leavers and workers who were temporarily stopped, increased by 430,986. Seasonally adjusted, the number registered as wholly unemployed, except school-leavers, increased by 306,700.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why rates of unemployment cannot be calculated for the area of the Thorne Employment Exchange.

The number of people travelling to work who cross employment exchange boundaries in the area covered by the employment exchanges of Doncaster and Thorne is so great that the construction of unemployment percentage rates for the constituent parts of the travel-to-work area would not be meaningful.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what the latest unemployment figures are for Birmingham.

At 10th January, the number of people registered as wholly unemployed in the Birmingham travel-to-work area was 29,397. In addition there were 7,951 who were temporarily stopped.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men and women, respectively, were placed in employment by his Department during the latest 12 months for which figures are available; and what proportion these placings represent of the vacancies notified during the same period.

During the 12 months ended 1st December, 1971, the numbers of men and women placed in employment by employment exchanges were 862,573 and 401,052, respectively. Expressed as percentages of all vacancies for men and women notified to my Department, the figures were 69·6 and 57·6.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the increase in the index of basic hourly rates of wages in all industries in each three-month period since August, 1970.

The percentage increases in the index of basic hourly rates of wages in each of the three-month periods ending in November, 1970, and February, May, August and November, 1971, were 4·1, 3·8, 2·3, 2·4 and 1·5, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has for improving forecasting of manpower needs, and needs for particular skills.

At the moment this is being done through the industrial training boards and my manpower advisers. As to the future, the Development of better manpower intelligence is to be one of the specific tasks of the streamlined employment service and I also expect that this aspect of the work of the training boards will be further developed and co-ordinated by the proposed National Training Agency.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average month-to-month increase in the Index of Retail Prices between June and December 1971, and how this compared with the previous six months.

The average month-to-month percentage increase in the General Index of Retail Prices between June and December, 1971, was 0·4 per cent. The comparable figure for the previous six months was 1·0 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest figures of male and female unemployment in the Dudley and Stourbridge areas.

At 10th January, in the area covered by the Dudley Employment Exchange, 1,690 males and 204 females were registered as unemployed of whom 304 males and seven females were temporarily stopped. In the Stourbridge area, 1,314 males and 129 females were registered as unemployed of whom 207 males and seven females were temporarily stopped.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has for improving his Department's information on vacancies and encouraging employers to notify them.

Essentially it is only by improving the quality of the employment service that we shall get employers to notify more vacancies to us.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what examination he has made of the incidence of unemployment in the over-55 age group in seaside towns; and if he will make a statement.

We are aware that people aged 55 and over account for a higher proportion of those registered as unemployed in many seaside towns than in the country as a whole. One reason for this is that some men who retire from their normal employment before 65 move to seaside towns and register as unemployed in order to obtain fresh jobs or, if suitable work is not available, claim unemployment benefit and credits of national insurance contributions.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on what date he intends to publish the review of industrial training boards.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he intends to publish the Green Paper on the future of the industrial training boards.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment on what date he will announce the result of his review of the industrial training boards.

The Government's proposals for industrial training are contained in the booklet "Training for the Future": A Plan for Discussion, which was published on 1st February.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many employers have agreed to make available spare training capacity for training workers at Government expense; and how many training places he expects to become available as a result.

By 21st January my Department had identified about 1,600 spare training places in industry. Agreements have been reached with 90 employers for a total of 950 places and discussions are proceeding with a further 50 employers in respect of the remaining places.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment for how many unemployed workers over the age of 45 years training grants have been paid to employers in development areas.

During 1971, the first year of the Government's scheme, grants were paid to employers in development and intermediate areas towards the training of about 600 workers aged 45 and over. Figures for development and intermediate areas separately are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many Government training centres are now open or under construction; how many places they are expected to provide; and how these numbers compare with a year ago.

A year ago there were 48 centres providing 10,500 training places. Since then I have opened four new centres and am planning to open a further 12 by 1975 when there will be 17,000 training places.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what numbers of apprentices and other workers were in training during each of the last 10 years to December, 1971.

In 1968, 1970 and 1971 there were respectively 1·4 million, 1·6 million and 1·2 million persons including apprentices under training at the date of my Department's inquiries. I regret that earlier information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will arrange for an early increase in the number and range of Government training centre places available in the Northern Region, in the light of the present unemployment rate; and if he will make a statement.

An additional 160 places will be provided at existing centres. A further 350 places will be made available as soon as possible by utilising unused industrial premises. Courses are already available in 35 skilled trades and I am ready to consider adding others according to local needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed young people have entered into courses of training under the Government's vocational training scheme at colleges of further education or in employer's establishments.

Since August, 1971, 719 young people have commenced such courses under the vocational training scheme—571 in colleges of further education and 148 in employers' establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many courses of training for unemployed young people at colleges of further education have been arranged under the Government's Vocational Training Scheme.

Twenty-four courses under the vocational training scheme have been specially arranged for unemployed young people in colleges of further education.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many July school leavers remain unemployed in the employment exchange areas of the County of Monmouthshire.

A special count on 24th January showed that there were 121 summer term school leavers still registered as unemployed at careers offices in Monmouthshire. The figures for the individual careers office areas are as follows:

	1971 summer term school leavers still registered as unemployed on 24th January, 1972
Careers Office	Boys	Girls	Total
Abertillery	8	8	16
Blackwood	23	8	31
Newport (County Borough)	13	4	17
Cross Keys	10	5	15
Pontypool	11	14	25
Usk	1	2	3
Aberbargoed	7	7	14
Total for Monmouthshire	73	48	121

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the number of unemployed in the area covered by the High Wycombe employment office; the number of outstanding vacancies; and the percentage of unemployed to the total working population in the area.

At 10th January, 742 people were registered as unemployed in the High Wycombe Employment Exchange area and 677 notified vacancies remained unfilled. The rate of unemployment for the High Wycombe, Chesham and Gerrards Cross travel-to-work area was 1·6 per cent. The vacancy statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies in the coal and paper industries have been notified to him in the Lothians, and at what industrial undertakings, during the last three month period; and what assistance his Department has given the redundant workers towards finding re-employment.

Redundancies in the Lothians involving some 430 workpeople in the coalmining and 370 in the paper industry were notified to my Department in the three months 12th October, 1971, to 10th January, 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present rate of male unemployment in the Rotherham, Maltby and Dinnington exchange areas; and whether this level of unemployment is higher or lower than the average male unemployment rate in the development areas of England and Wales.

At 10th January the percentage rates of unemployment for males in the Rotherham, Maltby and Dinnington Employment Exchange areas were 8·8, 11·3 and 12·7, respectively. The corresponding figure for the development areas of England and Wales was 8·8 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest unemployment figures for North-East Lancashire; and if he will make a statement.

At 10th January, 8,534 people were registered as unemployed in the North-East Lancashire Intermediate Area, including 395 who were temporarily stopped. The rate of unemployment was 4·2 per cent. The cotton textile industry, which is so important to the area, should benefit from the greater stability in the United Kingdom market which will result from the import arrangements announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 8th December.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress made to implement the proposals contained in "People and Jobs" in Scotland.

The plans for the modernisation of the employment service are being carried forward for Scotland as for the rest of Great Britain, as set out in the report "People and Jobs".

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of those unemployed at present have been unemployed for more than a year; and what were the corresponding proportions in each of the last 10 years.

Following is the available information.

Proportion of registered wholly unemployed people in Great Britain who had been registered for more than 52 weeks.
	Per cent.
October, 1971	15·9
October, 1970	17·7
October, 1969	17·7
October, 1968	16·5
October, 1967	13·7
October, 1966	12·9
October, 1965	16·7
October, 1964	18·9
October, 1963	17·0
October, 1962	12·5
September, 1961	16·4

The numbers registered as wholly unemployed are analysed in sufficient detail to identify those who have been on the register for more than 52 weeks at quarterly intervals. From 1962, the analysis has been made in January, April, July and October. Until then, it was made in March, June, September and December. The figures for January, 1972, are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he proposes to take to increase job opportunities for young persons in the London area.

The Government's economic measures should increase job opportunities for young people in Greater London. In January, there were 3,169 young people unemployed and 7,214 vacancies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has for dealing with the unemployment position in Greater London.

The extensive measures taken by the Government to expand the economy will, given time, reduce unemployment both in London and the country as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of redundancies notified to his Department in the Greater London area for the 12-month period ended 31st December, 1971; what was the average per month, and what was the average number of vacancies per month notified.

Redundancies involving 68,000 workpeople were notified to my Department in the Greater London area during the 12-month period ended 31st December, 1971. The average number of redundancies notified per month was 5,667 and the number of vacancies notified per month for men and women was 33,932.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men between 60 and 65 years of age were unemployed in the Greater London area at 31st December, 1971.

Information is not available for 31st December but at 10th January there were provisionally 10,788 men aged 60 to 64 years registered as wholly unemployed in Greater London.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons are employed in the hotel and catering industry in Greater London; and how many are currently unemployed in the same industry in Great Britain.

At June, 1970, the latest date for which estimates are available, there were 123,300 employees in employment in the hotel and catering industries in Greater London. At January, 1972, the number of people registered as unemployed in Great Britain who last worked in these industries was 41,495.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies have occurred in the Dunfermline and Cowdenbeath employment exchange areas, respectively, since June, 1970; and how many have been announced as taking place in the next month.

Redundancies involving some 1,620 work-people in the Dunfermline and 80 work-people in the Cowdenbeath employment exchange areas were recorded as due to occur within the period 1st June, 1970, to 21st January, 1972, inclusive. My Department has no knowledge of any redundancies which have been announced as due to occur in these areas from 22nd January, 1972, onwards.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he is taking to reduce the number of unemployed persons in the Easington constituency.

In February, 1971, we made the whole of the Easington constituency a Special Development Area. It should therefore benefit from the extensive measures we have introduced to encourage industrial expansion in those areas and in the country as a whole. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will continue to draw the attention of suitable firms to the advantages of expansion in the area, in eluding the New Town of Peterlee.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of days lost by industrial disputes in 1971 to the nearest million days; and what percentage relationship this figure bears to the figures for 1969 and 1970.

Fourteen million in 1971. an increase of 98 per cent. over 1969 and 24 per cent. over 1970.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many stoppages of work due to industrial disputes in the motor industry were known to his Department in 1969, 1970 and 1971, respectively.

271 in 1969, 336 in 1970 and 242 in 1971. The figure for 1971 is provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many working days were lost due to strikes between 18th June, 1970, and the end of 1971, irrespective of whether the strikes fall within the official classification of industrial disputes or otherwise.

In the official series of disputes statistics, estimates of working days lost are confined to those arising from industrial stoppages. For the eighteen months ended 31st December, 1971, the provisional total is 19,536,000. In addition, approximately 3¼ million workers are estimated to have taken part during this period in one-day stoppages of work which were not due to disputes connected with terms and conditions of employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the cost to industry in lost production in consequence of strikes in 1971.

I regret that official estimates of the cost of lost production due to industrial stoppages are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of young people under 18 years of age who entered employment in the Glasgow exchange area in the period June, 1970, till the latest available date.

16,537 young people under 18 years of age entered their first employment following completion of full-time education in the City of Glasgow in the period June, 1970, to December, 1971.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take immediate steps to tackle the question of unemployment in Glasgow, and introduce measures that will lead to continuity of employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he is taking to deal with increased unemployment in the Glasgow exchange area.

The Government have introduced a wide range of measures to reduce unemployment, many of which are directed at special development areas of which Glasgow forms a part, and it will take such further measures as are necessary to achieve this aim.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will introduce measures to alleviate unemployment within the Edinburgh exchange areas.

The Edinburgh employment exchange area is in an intermediate area. The Government have taken extensive measures to stimulate the economy of the country as a whole and of the assisted areas in particular. I am confident these measures will help to alleviate unemployment in Edinburgh.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he intends to take to relieve the rate of male unemployment in Kirkcaldy, Buck-haven and Methil, Burntisland and Kinghorn.

I am confident the extensive measures already taken by the Government to stimulate the economy in the country as a whole and in the development areas in particular will lead to an improvement in the unemployment situation in the hon. Member's constituency.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many building trade workers were registered as unemployed in the Kirkcaldy, Leven and Burntisland employment exchanges, respectively, in the month of December for each of the years 1969, 1970 and 1971.

Following is the information:

NUMBERS OF PEOPLE REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED WHO LAST WORKED IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
	Kirkcaldy	Leven and Methil	Burntisland
December, 1969	185	170	30
December, 1970	228	189	17
December, 1971	305	197	46

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest Scottish unemployment figures, and how they compare with the same date in 1971.

At January, 1972, the number of people registered as unemployed in Scotland was 154,302, of whom 4,091 were temporarily stopped. The corresponding figures for January, 1971, were 115,134 and 2,097.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies in Scotland were notified to his Department in the last available month.

Not all redundancies are notified to my Department, and it is not the practice to keep records of every minor redundancy. However, our records show that redundancies involving 3,520 workpeople were notified in the period 7th December, 1971, to 10th January, 1972.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the number of people out of work but not registered as unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of men and women, respectively, in Wales who are available for employment but are not at present on the unemployment register.

I have nothing to add at present to my answer to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 9th December, I explained then that information about the total number of persons seeking work or waiting to take up a job, including those not registered at employment exchanges, will be obtained from the 1971 Census of Population. Preliminary results are not expected for some months.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what estimates his Department has made of the numbers who are available for work but who are not registered as unemployed in Scotland.

I have nothing to add at present to my answer to the hon. Member for Oldham, West on 9th December. I explained then that information about the total number of persons seeking work or waiting to take up a job, including those not registered at employment exchanges, will be obtained from the 1971 Census of Population. Preliminary results are not expected for some months.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he intends to take to assist the 1,300 people at Swindon railway workshops whom British Railways Board say they intend to make redundant in 1972 and 1973, to find alternative satisfactory employment.

It is too early yet to make any detailed arrangements, but the hon. Member can be assured that my Department will do all it can by such means as "job teams" for advance interviewing, special canvassing of employers, and the offer of training opportunities where appropriate.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has received from sources outside the Government regarding future prospects of employment in the East Midlands.

My Department receives a good deal of information from employers and others about forthcoming redundancies and expansions and industrial prospects generally in the East Midlands. Much of this is supplied on a confidential basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young persons are unemployed in the Lanarkshire area; and how many vacancies existed at the latest possible date.

Last month there were 2,314 young persons unemployed and 78 vacancies in Lanarkshire. The vacancy statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of male workers is unemployed in the Kilsyth area.

At 10th January the rate of unemployment for males in the Kilsyth Employment Exchange area was 20·2 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now extend his experimental work scheme for young unemployed beyond the development and intermediate areas.

In view of the many problems involved in a scheme of this kind, it is not advisable to consider extending its scope until practical experience of it has been gained.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the details of the experimental work scheme centred on Sunderland.

I cannot comment on the details of the experimental works scheme centred on Sunderland, as the responsibility for running the scheme rests with the National Association of Youth Clubs. However, I understand that recruitment of staff for the schemes in Sunderland is in progress.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has for dealing with the unemployment situation in Sunderland.

We have adopted an exceptional range of measures to improve the employment situation in the assisted areas, including the designation of Wearside as a special development area and we shall not hesitate to take such further measures as are considered necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what instructions or advice he has given to chairmen of

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES IN EMPLOYMENT
(Thousands)
			Mexborough and Goldthorpe			Wombwell
			Males	Females	Total	Males	Females	Total
June, 1970	…	…	20·4	8·9	29·3	6·0	1·8	7·8
June, 1961	…	…	25·2	6·7	31·9	8·0	1·4	9·4
June, 1951	…	…	26·3	5·8	32·1	9·9	1·2	11·1

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will list the provisions relating to protection from disclosure afforded or conciliation officers and Commission on Industrial Relations staff under the Industrial Relations Act, 1971, in respect of private and confidential information communicated to them; whether he is satisfied that this will preserve adequately the interests of trade unionists who may be parties to proceedings under the Act; and whether he will make a statement.

The relevant provisions are Section 146(6) and Schedule 3, paragraphs 43, 45 and 46. The president of the industrial court has stated publicly that the court will respect the confidentiality of such discussions, and my right hon. Friend is satisfied that the interests of those who may be parties to proceedings under the Act, including trade unionists, are adequately protected.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Islington, East (Mr. John D. Grant) on 20th January.—[Vol. 829, 222.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men and women were registered in employment at the Mexborough and Wombwell employment exchanges, respectively, at the latest available date; and how these figures compare with those in 1951, 1961 and 1970.

Following is the information:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects to receive the report of the Sub-Committee of the Industrial Safety Advisory Council on the proposals contained in the study of 2,000 accidents by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology.

Shortly after the meeting of the Sub-Committee arranged for 15th February next.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he is taking to deal with the unemployment problem arising from the proposed closure of the Marconi Works in Wembley; how many workers will be made redundant; at what date the first terminations of employment will take place; for how long the closure process will last; and if he will make a statement.

G.E.C. Marconi Electronics Ltd. announced on 14th January that it did not propose to renew the lease of the Wembley factory of Marconi Communication Systems Ltd. and planned to close it towards the end of 1972. It is understood that this would mean some 510 workers becoming redundant, the first redundancies to take place in April, and the balance to be phased over the rest of the year. Discussions, however, are still taking place with the trade unions concerned.The full resources of my Department will be made available to assist workers who may become redundant to obtain alternative employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has yet replied to the letter sent to him by Mr. J. R. Gater, shop convenor for the trades unionists at the Wembley Marconi Works, regarding the proposed closure of that factory and the consequent unemployment of 500 workers; and if he will make a statement.

A reply has been sent to Mr. Gater. I understand that the company are still discussing the situation at the Wembley factory with the trades unions concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is aware that Beaverbrook Newspapers Limited are in the process of declaring redundant 2,006 employees in Scotland, with further reductions in London and Manchester with possible cuts of up to 20 per cent. in staff in some departments; and whether he will initiate discussions with the trade unions and Beaverbrook Newspapers Limited to see to what extent his Department can assist in these employment problems.

I have received no information about prospective redundancies at Beaverbrook Newspapers Limited. It would not be appropriate for my Department to seek to initiate discussions on this subject between management and the work people's representatives. However, the services of the Department would, of course, be made fully available in the event of any redundancies.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to ensure that future detailed analyses of the unemployment figures include a breakdown between skilled and unskilled workers.

It is not possible to classify all unemployed workers in this way because there are at present no universally accepted definitions of skilled and unskilled workers. However, the occupational classification of the unemployment figures is due to be changed and I will bear this point in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to maintain the number of apprentices in the building industry and if he will make a statement.

Responsibility for ensuring an adequate intake of apprentices rests on the industry. My Department is however meeting half the cost of a scheme introduced by the Construction Industry Training Board to provide initial apprentice training for 326 boys who would otherwise be unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received relating to the Printing and Publishing Industry Training Board from employer's associations represented on the board; and what they were.

My right hon. Friend has received representations from the Newspaper Publishers' Association, the Periodical Publishers Association and the Publishers' Association. They covered the incidence of the Board's levy on newspapers, and the general relevance to these sectors of the Board's levy and grant schemes and services.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment under what circumstances redundant workers may be denied payment of unemployment benefit.

A redundant worker must satisfy the conditions governing payment of unemployment benefit which are laid down in the National Insurance Acts and Regulations. Following is a summary:

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about his meeting with the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress regarding the coal miner's strike.

I have nothing to add to my statement on 24th January, 1972.—[Vol. 829, c. 958.]

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what further action he now contemplates taking to secure a settlement of the strike in the coal mining industry.

I am keeping in close touch with the situation and will not neglect any opportunity which could help the parties to reach a settlement acceptable to them both and to the community as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will arrange to meet the Executive Committee of the National Union of Mineworkers and representatives of the National Coal Board to discuss the national coal strike.

I met both sides on 21st January and am prepared to meet them again at any time to discuss the situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many unfilled vacancies there are in the building industry in Scotland.

At 5th January, 539 notified vacancies for jobs in the construction industry remained unfilled in Scotland. There is no obligation on employers to notify their vacancies to my Department. The figure relates only to those vacancies which were notified and remained unfilled on 5th January. It does not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour in the industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals he has to reduce the numbers of unemployed in the Paisley employment area.

The Government have already taken extensive measures to stimulate the economy and many of these measures have been directed to the West of Scotland Special Development Area of which Paisley is a part. I am confident that, given time, these measures will lead to an improvement in the unemployment situation in Paisley.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will undertake surveys in at least three mining areas to indicate how many men who left the industry for other employment between 1960 and 1966 were out of work on 1st October, 1971.

No. It is considered that the results of such surveys would be of limited value. They would also involve considerable administrative expense.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies, notified to his Department, took place in each of the economic planning regions of Great Britain in 1971; and how many people were involved in each region.

As at 31st December, 1971, the number of redundancies notified and recorded by my Department as having been due to take place in 1971 and the number of establishments concerned were:

Economic Planning Region	Establishments Notifying Redundancies	Workpeople Involved
Northern	389	24,010
Yorkshire and Humberside	569	31,550
South Eastern	1,159	86,480
East Anglia	124	9,330
South Western	278	14,550
Wales	267	14,910
East Midlands	253	16,460
West Midlands	401	35,810
North Western	602	59,080
Scotland	768	42,310
Great Britain	4,810	334,490

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will give a list of the employment exchanges which have been opened since June, 1970; where they are situated; by whom they were declared open; and on what dates.

Since June, 1970, two new additional offices have been opened and 104 offices have been re-housed. As a full reply on where these are located, and by whom they were declared open and on what date, is necessarily rather lengthy I will with permission send the hon. Member the information.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies, notified to his Department, took place in Wales in 1971; and how many people were involved.

Redundancies in 267 establishments and involving 14,910 workpeople were notified to my Department as due to occur in 1971.The figures of workpeople involved are provisional figures adjusted to take account of belated information received up to two months late. A different provisional figure for Wales of 16,250 has been circulated, which was specially extracted from detailed records adjusted to take account of all belated information.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies took place in England and Wales in 1971; and how many of these were building workers.

Not all redundancies are notified to my Department and it is not the practice to keep records of every minor redundancy. However, our records show that redundancies due to occur in England and Wales in 1971 involved about 292,000 workpeople. Some 10,000 of these were construction industry workers.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the percentage of the immigrant population, excluding the Irish, who are at present wholly unemployed.

I regret that I can give no current estimate. Comprehensive information about the numbers of employed and unemployed immigrant workers in this country is obtained only when a census of population is taken. The results of the 1971 census are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he expects the Committee on Noise Standards to report.

A sub-committee of my right hon. Friend's Industrial Health Advisory Committee has been set up to consider what action should be taken to prevent the loss of hearing by employed persons due to industrial noise. This sub-committee is to make its first report to the main Committee next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the estimated number and percentage of men aged 21 years and over in full-time employment whose gross weekly earnings are less than £20·00 per week in Great Britain, and the Western and Southern sub-divisions of the South-West of England, respectively.

The following estimates are based on the numbers of men, aged 21 and over in the New Earnings Survey

						All occupations		Manual occupations
						Men	Women	Men	Women
						£	£	£	£
South East	…	…	…	…	…	35·8	20·1	30·6	16·2
East Anglia	…	…	…	…	…	30·1	17·0	26·8	14·3
South Western	…	…	…	…	…	30·9	17·1	27·6	14·6
West Midlands	…	…	…	…	…	33·5	17·6	31·4	15·4
East Midlands	…	…	…	…	…	30·7	17·1	28·3	14·9
Yorkshire and Humberside			…	…	…	30·6	16·7	28·1	14·4
North Western	…	…	…	…	…	32·3	17·4	29·6	15·2
Northern	…	…	…	…	…	30·8	17·2	28·7	14·9
Wales	…	…	…	…	…	31·8	17·8	29·6	14·5
Scotland	…	…	…	…	…	31·3	17·4	28·5	14·9
GREAT BRITAIN	…	…	…	…	…	32·9	18·3	29·4	15·3
(The estimates are subject to sampling error; for most regional averages the standard error was about £0·1.)

The results of the Department's October, 1971, inquiry into the earnings of manual workers in manufacturing and certain other industries will become available later this month and include estimates for all regions of the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers in Scotland were involved in industrial

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details showing the average earnings in each of the regions throughout the United Kingdom at the most recent convenient date.

Detailed regional analyses of average gross weekly and hourly earnings of full-time men aged 21 and over and women aged 18 and over in April. 1971, obtained from the new Earnings Survey, were published in the January, 1972, issue of the Department's Gazette. The survey did not cover Northern Ireland.For those whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence, the estimates of average weekly earnings were:action of any kind, including official and unofficial strikes and working-in on the fourth Monday in January, 1972; and what were the figures for the same day in 1971, 1970, 1969, 1968 and 1967, respectively.

I regret that full information as requested is not available. I understand however that on 24th January, some 320 workers were involved in "work in" or "sit in" actions in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are presently employed in the electronics industry in Scotland; and what are the comparable figures for the last five years.

Following is the information:

Estimated numbers of employees in employment in Scotland in the electronics industries.
	Thousands
June, 1965	16·3
June, 1966 (a)	18·1
(b)	18·5
June, 1967	20·4
June, 1968	25·1
June, 1969 (a)	28·0
(b)	28·2
June, 1970	29·2

NOTES:Between June, 1966 and June, 1967, the industrial classifications of many establishments were corrected. The estimates for June, 1966 are shown on both bases, that is (

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest available percentage unemployment figure for the Coventry, Nuneaton and Bedworth employment exchange areas; how this compares with the average percentage for development areas; and whether he will make a statement.

Based on the total numbers registered as unemployed, including those temporarily stopped, the percentage rates of unemployment at 10th January in the Coventry, Nuneaton and Bedworth travel-to-work area and in the development areas were 5·9 and 7·0, respectively. Based only on the numbers wholly unemployed, the rates were 4·3 and 6·9 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has had from organisations or individuals in Scotland consequent upon the unemployment figures published on 20th January.

While my right hon. Friend is aware of and shares the considerable concern in Scotland over the unacceptably high level of unemployment there, he has not received any representations specifically about the January figures. My right hon. Friend has made it clear that the Government's chief aim is to bring down unemployment both in Scotland and in other parts of Great Britain. We have introduced extensive measures to encourage industrial expansion and will not hesitate to take such further measures as may be required.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will give the reasons for his official visit to Bolton, Lancashire, on Friday, 28th January, 1972.

I visited Bolton for three reasons. First at the invitation of the Bolton Chamber of Commerce to speak at their annual dinner; secondly to open my Department's new employment office; and thirdly, to visit the Bolton Remploy factory.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of those engaged in the coal industry were over 50 years of age on 1st January, and how many were under 30 years of age; and what percentage of the labour force these figures represented.

The most recent comprehensive analysis by age of the numbers of employees in the coal mining industry (including the registered unemployed) is for June, 1970, when the total number was about 382,000 of which about 68,000 (or 17·8 per cent.) were under 30 years of age and about 151,000 (or about 39·6 per cent.) were aged 50 or over.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a further examination of the difficulties being experienced by people unemployed and aged 45 years or over in regard to securing jobs, in the light of the present unemployment rate, with a view to introducing legislation to overcome them.

My right hon. Friend is fully aware of these difficulties, but considers that the measures which the Government have taken to create more job opportunities for everyone will be more effective than legislation in helping older people.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for unemployment in the building industry and kindred trades in Scotland.

At 10th January, 31,124 people who last worked in the construction industry were registered as unemployed in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many universities and polytechnics she has visited officially since 19th June, 1970.

Three universities, six polytechnics and the Cranfield Institute of Technology.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she now expects to receive the report of the committee of inquiry into speech therapy services.

My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Social Services, Scotland, Wales and I expect the Report by Easter.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the powers of the Board of Governors under the Museums of London Act, 1965, when the Board is constituted, to determine at their discretion the imposition of admission charges.

The powers of the Board of Governors are conferred by the Act and it would be inappropriate for me to attempt to summarise or to construe them.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she proposes to seek power to require the Board of Governors of the Museum of London, when fully constituted under the 1965 Act, to surrender the total proceeds of admission charges to the Exchequer, notwithstanding Section 14 of the Act in question.

No. It would clearly be inappropriate that any monies earned by a museum financed jointly with the Corporation of the City of London and the Greater London Council should be surrendered totally to the Exchequer.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans she has to remove the power of the Trustees of the Tate Gallery, which they inherited in 1955 from the Trustees of the National Gallery and which was not affected by the Treasury Minute of 5th February, 1955, or Statutory Instrument No. 603 of 1965, to impose entrance fees at their discretion in accordance with the Treasury letter of 1921.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money has been allocated to the Northern Region for the provision of nursery education under the Urban Aid Programme; and how much has been spent to date.

Approved capital expenditure, attracting 75 per cent. grant from the Exchequer, totals £1·02 million. This includes £0·5 million, falling mainly in 1972–73, authorised during the last three months as part of the Government's measures to assist areas of high unemployment. Actual capital expenditure to the end of 1971–72 is estimated at £0·41 million.