HC Deb 03 December 1985 vol 88 cc176-8W
14. Mr. Welsh

asked the Paymaster General how many people are currently out of work.

17. Mr. Andrew MacKay

asked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the current level of unemployment.

25. Mr. Stan Thorne

asked the Paymaster General what is the present level of unemployment.

31. Mr. Skinner

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish the latest figures for unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Alan Clark

On 10 October 1985 the number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom was 3,277,000.

41. Mr. Hirst

asked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement about the current trends in unemployment.

Mr. Alan Clark

Unemployment has levelled off since the spring; the seasonally adjusted level has remained broadly unchanged over the past six months.

54. Mr. Ashton

asked the Paymaster General how many people are unemployed now; and how many were unemployed in May 1979.

Mr. Alan Clark

On 10 October 1985 the number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted excluding school leavers, was 3,175,000. The corresponding figure for May 1979 was 1,184,100.

57. Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Paymaster General what is his latest estimate of the number of persons classified as unemployed who are actively seeking work.

Mr. Alan Clark

In the spring of 1984, the latest date for which complete returns are available, the labour force survey estimated that there were 2,905,000 people without jobs and actively seeking work in Great Britain.

61. Mr. Nicholls

asked the Paymaster General how many more people have come on to the labour market since May 1979.

Mr. Alan Clark

Between mid-1979 and mid-1984 the net increase in the civilian labour force in Great Britain is estimated at 390,000.

63. Mr. Charles Wardle

asked the Paymaster General what is the proportion of (a) employees in employment and (b) self-employed persons directly and indirectly engaged in the tourist industry.

Mr. Trippier

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mr. Chapman) on 29 October at columns425–26.

65. Mr. Chapman

asked the Paymaster General what is his latest estimate of the total numbers in employment; and how this figure compares with one year and two years before.

Mr. Alan Clark

In June 1985, the latest date for which figures are available, the size of the employed labour force in Great Britain was estimated to be 23,684,000. This compares with 23,432,000 in June 1984 and 23,038,000 in June 1983. The figures have been adjusted for seasonal variations.

67. Mr. Tony Lloyd

asked the Paymaster General if he will give the change in the number of employees in employment in the north-west region between 1979 and 1985 for (a) all industries and (b) manufacturing industry.

Mr. Alan Clark

Between June 1979 and June 1985 the number of employees in employment in all industries in the north-west region decreased by 307,000; employees in employment in the manufacturing industries decreased by 295,000.

Mr. Skinner

asked the Paymaster General what is the most recent figure for the number of people who have been unemployed for (a) over three years, (b) over two years and (c) over one year.

Mr. Alan Clark

The following information is in the Library. Figures are given showing the number of claimants in the United Kingdom who, on 10 October 1985, had been unemployed for the durations requested.

Number
Over three years 532,573
Over two years 823,127
Over one year 1,351,857

Mr. Pike

asked the Paymaster General how many people were employed in each travel-to-work area in Lancashire in 1979 and the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr. Alan Clark

The available information is from censuses of employment taken in 1978 and 1981 and is as follows.

As results of the 1978 census are not available for the new travel-to-work areas announced last year, figures are given for the travel-to-work areas as defined before last year's review.

Employees in employment
Thousands
Travel-to-work area June 1978 September 1981
Accrington 27.6 25.5
Blackburn 67.2 54.4
Blackpool 104.5 101.3
Burnley 45.0 40.1
Lancaster 44.1 44.3
Nelson 25.8 22.1
Ormskirk 28.4 26.9
Preston 140.9 140.8
Rossendale 19.2 16.3
Clitheroe 10.8 14.0
Bamoldswick 7.0 6.3

More up-to-date employment figures for travel-to-work areas will become available following the publication of the 1984 census of employment in the spring of 1986.

Mr. Hancock

asked the Paymaster General what is the current number of vacancies at jobcentres in (a) Glasgow, (b) Liverpool, (c) Southwark and (d) Sheffield.

Mr. Alan Clark

The numbers of unfilled vacancies (excluding community programme) at jobcentres in the local authority districts requested as at 4 October 1985 are as follows:

Number
Glasgow 3,155
Liverpool 649
Southwark 703
Sheffield 558