§ Mr. Lewisasked the Minister of Labour the number of people unemployed and on short-time in the Parliamentary constituency of Lewisham, North, at the latest convenient stated date; and how these figures compare with a date in July last, prior to the Suez crisis.
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§ Mr. Iain MacleodStatistics of unemployment are compiled only for employment exchange areas. On 12th November there were 578 wholly unemployed and 5 temporarily stopped persons on the registers of the Lewisham Employment Exchange compared with 400 and 8 on 16th July. There is of course generally an increase every year between these dates and the hon. Member will be happy to know that the latest figure of unemployment is lower than the November figure for any post-war year with the exception of 1955.