§ Mrs. Wiseasked the Secretary of State (1) if he will make it his practice to list in theOfficial Report unemployment statistics by region, in the form of a table showing the percentage unemployed in (a) the region as a whole, (b) the named place with the highest percentage in the region and (c) the named place with the lowest percentage in the region;
(2) if he will list in theOfficial Report the latest available unemployment statistics by region, in the from of a table showing the percentage unemployed in (a) the region as a whole, (b) the named place with the highest percentage in the region and (c) the named place with the lowest percentage in the region.
§ Mr. GoldingRates of unemployment for regions and certain local areas in each region are published monthly in the Department of EmploymentGazette. I have no plans to publish statistics in the form requested on a regular basis but the following table shows the information for July 1976:
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§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment when his Department commenced collecting figures of unemployed by industry on a monthly basis; and why it has now discontinued this important statistical series.
§ Mr. GoldingThe Department commenced compiling the monthly figures of unemployment analysed by the industry in which the person last worked in the 1920s. Commencing in August this year the figures will be compiled quarterly. The reduction in frequency has been made as an economy measure in view of the need to limit the growth in workload on staff in the local offices of the Employment Service Agency and in careers offices. These analyses are costly to compile and other similar detailed and extensive analyses of unemployment, some of which were not made when the complication of the industry analyses was begun, are already made at quarterly intervals.