§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the number of those aged under 20 years who were unemployed in the London borough of Newham in May 1979 and at the latest available date; and what is the percentage increase.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe following table gives the figures for unemployed claimants in July 1984, and the figures for registered unemployed in July 1979 (not available for May) in the area covered by East Ham, Plaistow and Stratford jobcentres, which corresponds closely to the London borough of Newham.
number aged under 20 years Registered unemployed July 1979 1,569 October 1982 3,258 Percentage change + 107.6 per cent. Unemployed claimants October 1982 3,285 July 1984 3,194 Percentage change - 2.8 per cent. The July 1984 figure does not include 410 non-claimant school leavers registered at careers offices.
The current statistics of age of the unemployed are not directly comparable with those for 1979 because of the October 1982 change in the basis of the count.