§ Mr. Lyellasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people aged 24 years and under have never held any job other than one provided by a scheme emanating from Government or from the Manpower Services Commission.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe following is the available information for unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom on 8 March. The figures relate to the numbers of unemployed school leavers ie young people who had not entered employment since terminating full-time education.
Age Under 18 94,817 18 80,003 19 and over 143,242
§ Mr. Lyellasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many of those who left school in summer 1983 are still unemployed.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkInformation in the exact form requested is not available. The available estimates relate to the numbers of young people aged 16 and 17 years on 31 August who were claimant unemployed the following January.
Estimates for Great Britain in January 1984, with equivalent data for 1983, were given by my right honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Education and 446W Science in his reply to the question from my Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Forman) at column 597.
§ Mr. Lyellasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many of those who left at age 16 years in 1982 are (a) still without employment and (b) have had no employment other than under a scheme emanating from the Government or the Manpower Services Commission;
(2) how many of those who left school at age 16 years in 1981 are (a) still without employment and (b) have had no employment other than under a scheme emanating from the Government or the Manpower Services Commission;
(3) how many of those who left school at age 16 years in 1980 are (a) still without employment and (b) have had no employment other than under a scheme emanating from the Government or the Manpower Services Commission;
(4) how many of those who left school at age 16 years in 1979 are (a) still without employment and (b) have had no employment other than under a scheme emanating from the Government or the Manpower Services Commission;
(5) how many of those who left school at age 16 years in 1978 are (a) still without employment and (b) have had no employment other than under a scheme emanating from the Government or the Manpower Services Commission.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe information is not available as the Department's unemployment statistics do not indicate the year in which a young person left school.
§ Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smithasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the level of unemployment in travel-to-work areas in the Wealden constituency; and how this compares with the years 1982 and 1983.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe following table gives the number registered as unemployed in March 1982 and the numbers of unemployed claimants in March 1983 and March 1984 in the area covered by the Uckfield and Hailsham jobcentres, which corresponds closely to the Wealden constituency. It also gives the numbers for October 1982 on both registrations and claimants bases. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted. The comparisons are affected by the change in the basis of the unemployment count in October 1982 and by the 1983 Budget provisions which meant that some men aged 60 and over no longer had to sign on in order to receive supplementary benefit or national insurance credits.
Registered unemployed Number unemployed March 1982 1,307 October 1982 1,281 Unemployed claimants October 1982 1,059 March 1983 1,239 March 1984 1,217
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the latest employment figures.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkOn 8 March, the number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom was 3,142,775. Although this represented a seasonally adjusted rise of 11,000 on the previous month, this was smaller than the increases of 30,000 in January and 447W February. Over the six months to March, the average increase was 11,000 a month, compared with 15,000 a month in the previous six months.