HC Deb 14 February 1983 vol 37 cc54-5W
Mr. Race

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were registered as unemployed in May 1979 and the most recent month for which figures are available for the following local offices of his Department (a) Bermondsey, Brunel Road, London SE16, (b) the Borough, Keyworth House, London SE1, (c) Camberwell, Collyer Place, London SE15, (d) Finchley, Ballard. Lane, London N3 and (e) Barnet, Raydean House, New Barnet.

Mr. Alison

With the introduction of voluntary registration, the unemployment count no longer relates to those registered at jobcentres; figures for unemployed claimants (the new basis of the count) relate to those living in jobcentre areas. The following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed at May 1979 and the numbers of unemployed claimants at January 1983 in the jobcentre areas in which the offices specified are located. It also gives the numbers unemployed on both the old and new bases at October 1982. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted.

numbers employed in the clothing industry; and what percentage of the labour force in each area were so employed.

Mr. Alison

Statistics of the numbers of employees in local areas are available from censuses of employment conducted annually from 1971 to 1978. Censuses were not taken in 1979 and 1980 and local area results are not yet available from the September 1981 census. The following table gives the earliest and most recent information available. Comparable figures are not available for earlier years.

Travel-to-work areas and employment office areas in West Yorkshire Woollen and Worsted Clothing
June 1971 June 1978 June 1971 June 1978
Number per cent. Number per cent. Number percent. Number per cent.
Bradford * 23.5 14.7 15.1 9.5 3.3 2.1 2.4 1.5
Castleford * — — — — 2.2 4.2 2.6 4.4
Dewsbury * 9.1 14.5 7.5 11.8 0.6 1.0 0.9 1.4
Halifax * 7.2 9.7 4.4 5.8 2.6 3.4 1.9 2.5
Huddersfield 18.7 20.9 12.4 14.5 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
Keighley 5.0 18.5 3.6 13.2 0.2 0.8 0.4 1.6
Leeds * 9.8 3.0 5.8 1.8 26.1 8.1 13.5 4.2
Todmorden — — 0.1 1.2 0.3 6.0 0.3 5.1
Wakefield * 3.5 5.7 3.2 4.6 1.3 2.1 1.3 1.9
* Travel-to-work areas comprising more than one employment office area.