§ Mr. Churchillasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total of youth unemployed in the North-West of England, including those partaking in Government-sponsored make-work or job-experience programmes in the most recent month for which figures are available and the equivalent month of 1974.
§ Mr. GoldingIn March 1979, 5,388 school leavers were registered as unemployed in the North-West. The latest date for which figures are available of young people under 18 unemployed is January 1979. At that time 18,884 were unemployed. Figures for current participants in the youth opportunities programme are not available, but since April 1978 about 22,000 young people have entered the programme in the North-West. A comparison with the early months of 1974 is not possible due to the restricted collection of statistics at that time due to the energy crisis.