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Rural Communities (Recession)

I am grateful to you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for calling me early in this debate. I have some regret, however, that that is as a consequence of not a single Labour Back Bencher rising to make a substantial contribution. That is symptomatic of this Government's attitude to rural communities and the effects of the recession on them. That may be the reason why, after the European elections in the south-west of England, Labour now has no representation among the six Members of the European Parliament, and why after the elections to Dorset county council there is now not a single Labour county councillor, despite the fact that Labour still holds one parliamentary seat in the county, South Dorset—for the time being. Mr. Deputy Speaker, you and many other Members will be aware that I have a picturesque constituency that offers some of the best rural land in Britain. We have some of the best dairy farmers in the country, and each year the area offers visitors great hospitality. We have many small and medium-sized businesses that keep the economy afloat. Having a constituency of 350 square miles, with no large towns or cities, gives me the ability to speak about rural communities. The statistics show that across the country an average of 10 per cent. of non-agricultural employees are in manufacturing, but in my constituency that figure is 17.5 per cent. according to the latest business inquiry. In fact, this morning I visited one manufacturing business there. It is an international company, and I suspect that during the day virtually all Members have sat on one of its products. It makes the springs that go in the seats of most cars manufactured in Europe, among a number of other spring-like products. The company is called William Hughes and it is in Stallbridge, a small town in my constituency. Later this week I will be visiting another business in my constituency, a big international business that is one of the FTSE 100 companies. It is Cobham plc, which will be exhibiting at the Paris air show. It makes the fuel systems and antennae that go on most aircraft produced in the world, whether by Airbus, Boeing or a number of other manufacturers. There are a multitude of other businesses in my constituency, including a leading paint maker, a company that makes probably the majority of trolleys and cabinets found in hospitals and health centres across the country and many companies that are involved in food manufacturing. However, my constituency is not the industrial heartland of Britain, or one of the great metropolitan areas, as the Government see it. It is a local economy that is under unbearable strain. It is squeezed by the recession and unsupported through Government action. I want to discuss three main subjects: unemployment as it affects my constituency and the impact on it of the closure of jobcentres; the closure of post offices and its detrimental effect, along with the absence of broadband in many areas of my constituency, when people need access to services, and the closure of rural businesses, particularly rural pubs. I shall start with unemployment. In my constituency, the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants is up a staggering 187 per cent. in the past 12 months. Even from a low base, that is some increase. Men in North Dorset are the hardest hit, with an increase in unemployment of 211 per cent. in the past 12 months. In the first few months of this year, that figure is up some 60 per cent. There is also a worrying trend towards people claiming for longer. In April last year, only 25 people in my constituency had been claiming jobseeker's allowance for between six and 12 months. The figure is now 120 and growing. Compared with many constituencies, it will appear small, but the rapid increase worries me. I am also worried about those who will go into the 12 months or longer category, without access to appropriate training for the skills that today's job market demands. We all know that those who reach that 12-month threshold without appropriate intervention risk staying economically inactive for much longer. There is therefore a huge increase in men claiming jobseeker's allowance and in people generally claiming jobseeker's allowance for a long time. Another trend worries me, and that is that the number of young adults forced into unemployment has increased by 222 per cent. I make no apology for using statistics—indeed, the Minister used them in his opening remarks.