§ Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Secretary of State for Employment what action he has taken to ensure the Trades Union Congress has carried out the undertakings it gave the Government relating to action on the political levy; what actions the Trades Union Congress and its affiliates have taken; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe TUC has issued a circular to its member unions setting out the text of its "Statement of Guidance" on trade union political funds and asking unions to review their existing procedures as soon as possible to ensure that this guidance is acted upon. The TUC has also sent each union a model information sheet of the kind which the statement of guidance recommends each union member should receive. We shall continue to monitor the implementation of the TUC guidance through our contacts with trade unionists and the correspondence this Department receives, and also through any formal complaints to the certification officer and trade unions' statutory annual returns.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give figures for the long-term unemployed as a percentage of all unemployed in each year since 1975.
§ Mr. Alan Clark[pursuant to his reply, 26 July 1984]: The following table gives, for Great Britain, the number of people who had been unemployed for over 52 weeks expressed as a percentage of the total unemployed. The figures for April 1975 to April 1982 relate to registered unemployed, those for April 1983 and April 1984 to unemployed claimants while the figures for October 1982 are on both bases.
The comparisons between the figures 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.
871W
Long-term unemployed as percentage of total unemployed Per cent. Registered unemployed April 1975 16.8 April 1976 17.1 April 1977 22.2 April 1978 24.0 April 1979 27.1 April 1980 18.1 April 1981 20.1 April 1982 32.8 October 1982 35.3 Unemployed Claimants October 1982 32.1 April 1983 35.8 April 1984 38.9