§ Mr. Parryasked the Paymaster General if he will list in the Official Report the information available to him on
Seasonally adjusted unemployment National definitions OECD Standardised rates Month Level (thousands) Percent rate Month Percent rate Canada April 1,239 9.6 March 9.6 United States of America April 8,342 7.1 April 7.0 Japan February 1,530 2.6 March 2.7 Australia April 601 7.9 March 8.0 Austria April 150 5.1 September 1985 3.5 Belgium April 448 16.3 April 12.4 Denmark January 215 8.0 † Finland January 171 6.7 December 1985 6.1 France April 2,429 10.4 March 10.0 Germany April 2,250 9.0 March 8.6 Greece March †116 †6.4 ‡ Ireland April 231 17.8 ‡ Italy October 1985 2,592 11.1 October 1985 10.9 Luxembourg April *2.2 *1.4 ‡ Netherlands April 723 14.9 March 12.6 Norway February 34 1.7 March 1.9 Spain March 2,745 22.3 December 1985 21.6 Sweden December 131 2.9 March 3.0 United Kingdom April 3,202 13.2 March 13.3 Notes:
* Unadjusted.
† Estimated.
‡ Not available.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Paymaster General if he will list the 50 travel-to-work areas which have seen the largest rise in unemployment since January 1985; and if he will provide a percentage figure for the rise in unemployment in each case.
§ Mr. LangThe following information is in the Library. Precise comparisons of unemployment by travel-to-work area between January 1985 and April 1986 are not available because of the change in the timing of compilation of unemployment statistics in March 1986; but the table, which shows the 50 travel-to-work areas of Great Britain that between January 1985 and April 1986 have had the largest rise in the published figures of unemployed claimants, expressed both in absolute terms and as a percentage, gives a broad indication of the comparison, which is also affected by seasonal factors.
24W the level of unemployment in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, and the percentage figures at the latest date.
Travel-to-Work Area Increase in numbers of unemployed claimants Percentage increase London 9,146 2.5 Barnsley 3,092 22.6 Sheffield 3,081 7.0 Rotherham and Mexborough 2,444 11.2 Doncaster 2,013 10.1 Wakefield and Dewsbury 1,373 8.2 Newcastle-Upon-Tyne 1,252 1.9 Greenock 1,208 13.4
§ Mr. LangThe latest available information is given in the table below. The figures are not fully comparable because of national differences in definitions and methods of compilation.
25W
Travel-to-Work Area Increase in numbers of unemployed claimants Percentage increase Kirkcaldy 1,165 10.8 Swindon 927 9.2 Castleford and Pontefract 895 10.7 Nottingham 683 1.5 Great Yarmouth 577 8.8 Morpeth and Ashington 576 7.2 Norwich 561 4.0 Worksop 522 14.2 Bridgend 507 5.6 Dunfermline 487 6.3 York 444 4.9 Mansfield 431 4.9 South Tyneside 422 2.7 Merthyr and Rhymney 410 3.8 Plymouth 407 2.3 Kin's Lynn and Hunstanton 405 7.4 Aberdeen 389 3.7 Chesterfield 359 3.4 Cumnock and Sanquhar 354 8.5 Redruth and Camborne 346 8.2 Yeovil 330 9.5 Portsmouth 316 1.6 Stafford 305 4.8 Canterbury 303 5.5 Inverness 251 5.5 South Pembrokeshire 245 7.8 Lincoln 229 2.7 Hull 226 0.7 Alfreton and Ashfield 226 3.1
Travel-to-Work Area Increase in numbers of unemployed claimants Percentage increase Burton-on-Trent 221 3.1 Dover and Deal 221 4.6 Tunbridge Wells 218 3.8 Holyhead 217 5.5 Hastings 214 3.2 Bridgwater 208 5.2 Wisbech 192 6.9 Pontypool and Cwmbran 190 3.0 Bridlington and Driffield 173 5.8 Huddersfield 170 1.5 Bury St. Edmunds 170 8.2 Carlisle 162 2.7 Wigan and St. Helens 161 0.5
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Paymaster General if he will list the 50 Parliamentary constituencies which have seen the largest rise in unemployment since January 1985; and if he will provide a percentage figure for the rise in unemployment in each case.
§ Mr. LangThe following information is in the Library. Precise comparisons of unemployment at constituency level between January 1985 and April 1986 are not available because of the change in the timing of compilation of unemployment statistics in March 1986; but the following table, which shows the 50 Parliamentary constituencies of Greater Britain that between January 1985 and April 1986 have had the largest rise in the published figures of unemployed claimants, expressed both in absolute terms and as a percentage, gives a broad indication of the comparison, which is also affected by seasonal factors.
26W
Parliamentary constituency Increase in numbers of unemployed claimants Percentage increase Barnsley and Penistone 1,271 25.9 Barnsley East 1,196 23.8 Don Valley 1,180 17.3 Doncaster North 1,107 13.8 Hemsworth 980 19.8 Greenock and Port Glasgow 979 12.5 Rother Valley 941 171 Barnsley Central 927 16.7 Hammersmith 891 13.7 Southwark and Bermondsey 823 12.1 Sheffield Heeley 789 11.9 Lewisham Deptford 783 10.6 Swindon 780 12.0 Wallsend 766 9.6 Bassetlaw 756 14.6 Wentworth 732 12.0 Islwyn 631 16.9 Pontefract and Castleford 614 10.8 Peckham 606 7.0 Liverpool Mossley Hill 602 8.6 Central Fife 539 9.9 Sheffield Attercliffe 533 9.1 Vauxhall 507 5.0 Kirkcaldy 502 10.9 Islington North 502 5.5 Tottenham 499 5.3 Ogmore 498 10.7 Great Yarmouth 496 8.2 Liverpool Broadgreen 495 6.0 Brent East 494 7.7 Sheffield Brightside 490 6.3 Dunfermline East 476 10.3 Lewisham West 428 8.3
Parliamentary constituency Increase in numbers of unemployed claimants Percentage increase Newcastle-upon-Tyne East 421 5.9 Bethnal Green and Stepney 401 5.4 Blyth Valley 400 8.2 Hackney South and Shoreditch 397 3.8 Woolwich 394 6.6 Sheffield Hillsborough 392 6.9 Wigan 384 5.4 South West Norfolk 379 9.2 Wansbeck 377 8.l York 376 6.6 Pembroke 375 5.2 Jarrow 371 4.7 North West Norfolk 363 7.4 Moray 362 9.6 Lewisham East 347 7.4 Greenwich 347 7.6 Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley 341 5.3