§ 1. Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Employment if the Government have any plans to increase self-monitoring of health and safety for private companies; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThis option, together with others put forward in the Health and Safety Commission's plan of work, is open for comment.
§ 11. Mrs. Renèe Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment what were the number of workplace accidents in 1984; and what were the numbers for each of the previous five years.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe following is the information for workplace accidents from 1978 to 1983. Figures for 1984 are not yet available.
The available figures for injuries and fatalities caused by accidents at work, and of dangerous occurences, in 1983 and the previous five years are as follows. Injuries to seamen, fishermen and air transport employees reported under merchant shipping and civil aviation legislation are excluded.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkOn 10 January 1985 the number of claimants in the Sunderland jobcentre area who had been unemployed for over two years was 6,829.
§ 22. Mr. Pikeasked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the work force is currently unemployed; and what was the proportion unemployed in April 1979.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkOn 11 April 1985 13.5 per cent, of the work force in the United Kingdom were unemployed. The corresponding percentage in April 1979 was 5.2 per cent.
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§ 26. Mr. Sedgemoreasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current rate of unemployment; and what are the numbers involved.
§ 38. Mr. Flanneryasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest figure of unemployed throughout the United Kingdom.
§ 39. Mr. Ray Powellasked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the current numbers unemployed; and what this is as a proportion of the work force.
§ Mr. Alan Clark: On 11April 1985 the number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom was 3,272,565, representing an unemployment rate of 13.5 per cent.
§ 31. Mr. Willie W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest number of people who have been unemployed for over 12 months.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkOn 10 January 1985, the latest date for which an analysis of unemployment by duration is available, a total of 1,316,017 claimants had been unemployed for over one year in the United Kingdom.
§ 34. Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of employees in employment at the latest available date and in June 1979, respectively.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkIn December 1984, the latest date for which information is available, there were an estimated 20,803,000 employees in employment in Great Britain. The corresponding figure for June 1979 was 22,619,000. The figures have been adjusted to take account of seasonal variations.
§ 41. Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current number of unemployed people in the European Economic Community; and what percentage of them are aged under 25 years.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkAt the end of March 1985 there were 13.3 million registered unemployed in the Community (excluding Greece), of whom 37 per cent. were aged under 25 years, as estimated by the statistical office of the European Communities.
§ 48. Mr. Strangasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many males are at present in employment; and what was the comparable figure for 1980.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkIn December 1984, the latest date for which information is available, there were an estimated 13,788,000 males in Great Britain in the employed labour force-that is employees in employment plus the self-employed plus Her Majesty's forces. The corresponding figure for December 1980 was 14,562,000.
§ 51. Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number and proportion of young people aged 17 or 18 years who are currently unemployed.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe information is not available for the age groups requested. On 10 January 1985, the latest date for which an analysis of unemployment by age is available, there were 197,678 unemployed people under 18 years and 373,986 aged 18 and 19 in the United Kingdom. The figures represent provisional unemployment rates of 23.8 and 26.1 per cent. Respectively. These figures will shortly be revised to take account of employment estimates for mid-1984.
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§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the regions of the United Kingdom in order of number of long-term unemployed.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe following information is in the Library. The figures relate to unemployed claimants on 10 January 1985, the latest date for which an analysis of unemployment by duration is available.
Claimants unemployed over one year Region Number South East 274,121 North West 200,121 West Midlands 164,527 Scotland 139,580 Yorkshire and Humberside 123,643 North 105,795 East Midlands 76,783 Wales 74,799 South West 67,935 Northern Ireland 61,045 East Anglia 27,668
§ Dr. David Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of women, aged between 16 and 60 years, in the United Kingdom and each of the standard regions are in employment in (a) a full-time and (b) a part-time capacity.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe latest available information about the employment of women aged between 16 and 60 is from the 1983 labour force survey, as follows:
percentage of women aged 16 and under 60 years Region In full-time* employment In part-time†employment All in employment‡ United Kingdom 32.2 23.5 56.1 North 28.5 24.2 53.0 Yorkshire and Humberside 29.9 26.2 56.6 East Midlands 32.8 24.6 57.7 East Anglia 30.1 27.5 57.9 South East 35.1 22.9 58.6 South West 30.7 26.0 57.3 West Midlands 30.3 23.3 54.1 North West 31.8 23.8 56.1 Wales 28.5 20.3 49.5 Scotland 32.7 21.6 54.8 Northern Ireland 30.9 16.6 47.7 * Normally working not more than 30 hours per week. †Normally working more than 30 hours per week. ‡Includes those with hours of work not stated.
§ Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has as to the levels of male and female unemployment in inner city partnership areas; and how these figures compare with unemployment in Britain as a whole.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.