Orders of the Day — Unemployment

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 29 April 1971.

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Photo of Mr Roger White Mr Roger White , Gravesend 12:00, 29 April 1971

I begin by apologising to the right hon. Member for Bristol, South-East (Mr. Benn). I was not present at the beginning of the debate because I was on other business in the House. I trust that he will understand that no discourtesy was intended. I join others in congratulating the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland (Mr. Marsden) on his maiden speech. It is always a frightening experience, and we commend him for his performance today.

I want to speak about what I term the "Cinderella" area of the country—the South-East of England. [HON. MEMBERS: "Where is it?"] Some hon. Members ask where it is. Some people associate it with the blossom of Kent, but not all Kent enjoys blossom.

We have in my constituency heavy industry, particularly two basic industries which have for some time been running down—paper and cement. The cement industry has been contracting mainly because of mechanisation and so forth. But in the paper industry we have witnessed in recent times a very serious contraction, and this has been accelerating in the last few months. Indeed, in the industry as a whole throughout the country, in 1970 three mills and four paper machines closed down. In the first three months of this year, seven mills and 45 paper machines closed down, representing 10 per cent. of the country's 500 paper machines. This represents about 7,000 employees out of a total work force of 90,000, and it is a serious situation.

I asked my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Employment, a Question about the paper industry on 5th April. I pressed him about the unfair pricing policies followed by certain Scandinavian countries, which resulted in a meeting being held at his Ministry on 24th March with the industry. He said that he understood the situation and that it had already been the subject of representations to Scandinavia. That is all very well. But imports since the formation of E.F.T.A. have risen from 26·9 per cent. of consumption in 1960 to 35·1 per cent. in 1970. The Scandinavian share of imports of paper and board rose from 38·5 per cent. in 1960 to 56·2 per cent. in 1970. The Scandinavians are the dominant suppliers of pulp to the United Kingdom, holding 70 per cent. of the market, and they have thus been able to maintain prices at a high level. This is having an effect on the British paper industry and upon industry in general, particularly in my constituency.

I turn to another facet of the Question I asked my hon. Friend on 5th April, concerning the run-down of industry on Thamesside. He replied that because it was in the travel-to-work area of London it represented a 1·5 per cent. level of unemployment. In general terms in this House and in relation to some areas of the country, this may seem to be peanuts, but in my constituency, both in Northfleet and in Gravesend, there was an unemployment ratio of 4·5 per cent. in March and it is still rising.

I am particularly concerned, therefore, that when the Kent Development Plan Review came under the scrutiny of the Secretary of State recently he was not, unfortunately, able to make modifications of the Kent County Council's proposal in, for example, paragraph 133, which said: The policy for industrial development as stated in the approved Town Map should be continued, namely, that new industry will not normally be permitted in the area of the Town Map. Paragraph 134 said: Proposals for additional office development in this area should not be permitted if they would result in increased demands for provision of housing land locally. All this is devastating for the area. This is an area which has not enjoyed the advantages of development area or even intermediate area status. Nothing has come to that area at all. The only thing we are asking for is flexibility in the granting of industrial development certificates. I ask the Government tonight to be flexible with them in the South-East, particularly for its industries along Thames-side.

Abraham Lincoln said that one does not strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. But we have seen this sort of thing far too long in our part of England. I ask my right hon. Friend to remember that, whatever the prosperity of the South-East may have been, people there have become unemployed and more are becoming unemployed. Many of them, particularly in the paper industry, are men in their middle fifties who are finding it difficult to find other jobs. Men who have spent their working life making paper and now find themselves on the scrap heap are in many cases unable to be retrained. It is no good to this country now or in the future that these men should see no prospect in their lives other than possibly being on the dole.