§ Ms. Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average length of time women aged 16 to 25 years, 26 to 40 years, 41 to 55 years and over 48W 55 years respectively, remain on the unemployment registers at the Barking and Dagenham unemployment benefit offices.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe information is not available in the precise form requested. The following table gives the median length of unemployment spells, both completed and uncompleted, for claimants in the Barking and Dagenham jobcentre areas for the closest age groups available.
The length of unemployment spells for women are affected by their entitlement to benefit. Many women cease to claim after a year if they are not eligible for supplementary allowance.
Median length of unemployment spell (weeks) Females: Barking and Dagenham Jobcentre areas
Age Group Completed* spells of women ceasing to be unemployed between October 1983 and 1984 Uncompleted spells at 11 October 1984 16–24 12 19 25–39 19 29 40–54 13 49 55 and over *(22) 85 All 13 28 * Medians for completed spells relate to computerised records only. This is however only likely to affect the figures significantly for the oldest age group. Note: The median length of unemployment spell is the length of time spent unemployed exceeded by 50 per cent. of the unemployed.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will list the percentage of unemployment in the city of Birmingham on (a) a constituency basis and (b) a ward basis at the latest date;
(2) if he will list the level of unemployment in the city of Stoke on (a) a constituency basis and (b) a ward basis at the latest date; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if he will list the level of unemployment in the city of Sheffield on (a) a constituency basis and (b) a ward basis at the latest date;
(4) if he will list the percentage unemployed in the city of Leeds on (a) a constituency basis and (b) a ward basis at the latest date;
(5) if he will list the level of unemployment in the city of Newcastle on (a) a constituency basis and (b) a ward basis at the latest date; and if he will make a statement;
(6) if he will list in the Official Report the percentage level of unemployment in the city of Stoke on (a) a constituency basis and (b) a ward basis at the latest date;
(7) if he will list the level of unemployment in the city of Leeds on (a) a constituency basis and (b) a ward basis at the latest date;
(8) if he will list the level of unemployment in the city of Birmingham on (a) a constituency basis and (b) a ward basis at the latest date.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkI refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 14 November at columns262–63.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how he calculates the current employment figures for each travel-to-work area;
(2) on what basis he calculates the numbers in employment in the Dunfermline travel-to-work area; and whether he has taken into account the rundown in employment at the Mossmorran construction site;
49W(3) if he will conduct a survey to test the accuracy of his figures for employment numbers in the Dunfermline travel-to-work area.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe numbers of employees in employment in September 1981 in each travel-to-work area are obtained from the census of employment. Estimates of the numbers in June 1983, for use in the calculation of travel-to-work area unemployment rates, have been obtained by adjusting the census figures to take account of regional trends between 1981 and 1983. As the data necessary to take account of detailed changes in the geographic pattern of employment, such as can result for example from the opening of a new establishment or the rundown of a particular construction site, are not available the estimates for June 1983 are considerably influenced by the employment patterns within each region as they were observed in 1981.
The estimates are, however, as up to date as possible and are consistent with the regional and national employment estimates. The 1984 census of employment, which is currently being conducted, will provide revised statistics of the number of employees employed in each travel-to-work area.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list his latest estimate for the numbers of the employed population resident in the Dunfermline, East constituency.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe latest available estimates come from the 1981 census of population. These were published on 19 May 1983 in the Parliamentary Constituency Monitor of census results for Scotland. A copy is available in the Library.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list his latest estimate for the numbers who are working within the area of the Dunfermline, East constituency.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe available estimates come from the census of employment for September 1981, which recorded 23,522 employees in employment whose place of work was in the present Dunfermline, East constituency.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what proportion of (a) the employed population and (b) the unemployed population is in travelto-work areas where the rate of unemployment in October was (i) above 24 per cent., (ii) above 20 per cent., (iii) above 17 per cent. and (iv) above 15 per cent;
(2) what proportion of (a) the employed population and (b) the unemployed population was in the old travel-towork areas where the rate of unemployment in August was (a) above 24 per cent., (b) above 20 per cent., (c) above 17 per cent. and (d) above 15 per cent.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) which firms in the Huddersfield travel-towork area have shed a significant number of jobs since May 1979;
(2) which have been the main industries suffering redundancies in the Huddersfield travel-to-work area since May 1979.
50W
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe main industries affected by redundancies in the Huddersfield travel-to-work area for May 1979 until September 1989 are the textile, mechanical engineering and vehicles industries. In that period 219 firms confirmed 10 or more redundancies as due to occur, but the names cannot be disclosed as they were provided to the Department in confidence.
§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average wage level in the Huddersfield travel-to-work area; and how this compares with the national average.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyInformation on average earnings in the Huddersfield travel-to-work area is not available. Details on the average weekly earnings of full-time adult employees in the West Yorkshire metropolitan county, including Huddersfield, and in Great Britain are published in tables 12 and 13 of New Earnings Survey 1984, part A, a copy of which is in the Library.
§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what was the level of long-term unemployment for the Huddersfield travel-to-work area in 1979; and what is the corresponding figure now;
(2) what was the level of unemployment of those under 25 years, in the Huddersfield travel-to-work area for 1979; and what is the corresponding figure now.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe information requested for the old Huddersfield travel-to-work area is available in the House of Commons Library. However, the figures for 1984 are not directly comparable with those for 1979. mainly because of the change from the registrant-based to claimant-based unemployment count in October 1982.
§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the record of strikes in the Huddersfield travel-to-work area since May 1979.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe information is not available.
§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Secretary of State for Employment how the present level of unemployment in the Huddersfield travel-to-work area compares in absolute and percentage terms, with the highest post-war unemployment level.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkOn 11 October 1984 the total number of unemployed claimants in the new Huddersfield travelto-work area was 11,367 or in percentage terms 13.5 per cent. Comparable figures since the second world war are not available. However, examination of claimant figures back to October 1982 and registrants up to October 1982 for the old Huddersfield travel-to-work area indicate that the previous highest level since the war is most likely to have occurred in September 1982 when there were 14,166 registered unemployed or in percentage terms 13.5 per cent.