HC Deb 20 March 1987 vol 112 cc642-5W
Mr. Leighton

asked the Paymaster General (1) if he will list the skillcentres (a) open in June 1979 and (b) closed since 1979, and what was the unemployment rate in the local travel-to-work area for each skillcentre (i) in June 1979 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available;

(2) for each skillcentre closed since 1979, what was the local unemployment rate (a) in June 1979, (b) in the month of closure and (c) at the latest date for which figures are available;

Skillcentre or Skillcentre Annexe open in 1979 Month of closure if no longer open Travel-to-Work area Unemployment Rate1 12 February 1987 Per cent. Unemployment Rate12 in month of closure Per cent. No. of Trainees4 completing courses 1985–86 Total training 45 weeks offered 1985–86
Barking London 10.0 217 8,455
Basildon Southend 13.2 163 5,466
Bellshill Lanarkshire 21.5 20.9 879 10,307
Bellshill Annexe November 1985 Lanarkshire 21.5
Billingham Stockton-on-Tees 18.4 279 7,204
Birmingham Birmingham 15.5 621 15,992
Birmingham YIC March 1986 Birmingham 15.5 16.4 3 3
Birmingham (Castle Bromwich) January 1986 Birmingham 15.5 16.7 184 6,256
Bradford Bradford 14.8 287 6,131
Bristol Bristol 10.5 654 14,237
Bristol Annexe December 1985 Bristol 10.5 11.3 3 3
Cardiff Cardiff 13.6 426 18,009
Charlton London 10.0 3 3
Chelmsford Chelmsford and Braintree 7.2 100 3,075
Chesterfield Chesterfield 15.4 81 3,634
Coventry Coventry and Hinckley 14.4 273 6,993
Doncaster March 1986 Doncaster 19.7 20.6 119 2,528
Dumbarton October 1985 Dumbarton 20.1 20.3 14 115
Dundee Dundee 16.5 561 6,840
Dunfermline Dunfermline 16.9 242 6,240
Durham Durham 13.6 326 10,196
East Lancashire (Accrington) Accrington and Rossendale 13.0 338 7,238
Edinburgh Edinburgh 12.0 11.6 334 8,456
Edinburgh Annexe March 1986 Edinburgh 12.0
Enfield London 10.0 298 10,032
Glasgow Glasgow 17.2
Glasgow (Govan) June 1985 Glasgow 17.2 17.6
Glasgow (Queenslie) August 1985 Glasgow 17.2 17.8 16 136
Gloucester Gloucester 9.0 409 8,200
Gloucester Annexe February 1986 Gloucester 9.0 10.1 86 2,134
Hull Hull 16.8 545 6,480
Ipswich Ipswich 8.4 147 5,767
Irvine Irvine 25.6 191 4,830
Killingworth December 1985 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 17.8 18.5 79 4,823
Kirby-in-Ash field (Nottingham) January 1986 Nottingham 13.3 14.0 275 2,754
Leeds Leeds 11.9 483 9,769
Leicester Leicester 10.0 236 7,160
Letchworth Hitchin and Letchworth 7.6 462 14,319
Lambeth YTC March 1986 London 10.0 10.7 3 3
Liverpool February 1986 Liverpool 19.8 21.2
Llanelli February 1986 Llanelli 17.4 19.0 114 2,035
Long Eaton (Nottingham) February 1986 Nottingham 13.3 13.9 254 5,636
Manchester (Denton) February 1986 Manchester 13.7 14.6 103 2,375
Manchester (Trafford) Manchester 13.7 477 10,861
Hindley Annexe February 1986 Manchester 13.7 14.6
Maryport Carlisle 11.8
Medway South Medway and Maidstone 11.3 306 11,385
Medway Annexe March 1986 Sittingbourne & Sheerness 14.5 15.0 111 2,798
Middlesbrough December 1985 Middlesbrough 21.7 23.2 75 1,775
Milton Keynes Milton Keynes 12.2 153 5,451
Newport (Gwent) Newport 15.2
Northampton Northampton 9.2 89 1,881
North Staffs (Stoke on Trent) Stoke 11.9

(3) for each skillcentre what was (a) the number of trainees completing courses and (b) the total training hours offered (i) in 1979 and (ii) in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mr. Lee

The available information is contained in the table:

Skillcentre or Skillcentre Annexe open in 1979 Month of closure if no longer open Travel-to-Work area Unemployment Rate1 12 February 1987 Per cent. Unemployment Rate12 in month of closure Per cent. No. of Trainees4 completing courses 1985–86 Total training 45 weeks offered 1985–86
Norwich Norwich 10.0 250 7,160
Nottingham Nottingham 13.3
Perivale London 10.0 160 6,667
Peterborough Peterborough 12.9 162 5,445
Plymouth Plymouth 14.7 438 8,208
Plymouth Annexe January 1986 Plymouth 14.7 15.8 121 1,967
Portsmouth Portsmouth 12.2 277 8,231
Preston Preston 11.0 300 5,927
Reading Reading 6.8 178 6,309
Redditch January 1986 Birmingham 15.5 16.7 218 4,114
Redruth Redruth and Cambourne 21.5 311 6,599
Rochdale Rochdale 16.4 286 6,180
Runcorn Widnes and Runcorn 18.2
St. Helens Wigan and St Helens 18.4 211 5,896
Sheffield Sheffield 16.0 359 8,246
Slough Slough 6.4 226 8,405
Southampton Southampton 11.4 319 961
Southampton (Millbrook) Southampton 11.4 271 7,130
Swindon Swindon 11.6 228 6,509
Twickenham Heathrow 6.8 262 8,898
Twickenham Annexe Heathrow 6.8
Tyneside (Gateshead) South Tyneside 24.7 737 12,449
Tyneside Annexe November 1985 South Tyneside 24.7 25.5 3 3
Waddon (Sydenham) September 1985 London 10.0 10.9 64 1,156
Waddon Annexe March 1986 London 10.0 10.7 49 2,552
Wakefield Wakefield and Dewsbury 14.9 206 4,727
West Glamorgan Neath and Port Talbot 13.4 477 9,826
West Gwent December 1985 Newport 15.2 15.8 87 1,804
West Sussex (Lancing) Worthing 8.3 295 8,487
West Sussex Annexe December 1985 Worthing 8.3 8.6 87 2,993
Wigan Wigan and St. Helens 18.4 192 4,872
Wolverhampton Wolverhampton 18.0 321 7,415
Wolverhampton Annexe January 1986 Wolverhampton 18.0 19.2 87 4,546
Wrexham Wrexham 17.2 334 6,647
Blaenau, Gwent6 February 1983 Blaenau, Gwent and Abvergavenny 18.6
1 The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed expressed as a percentage of employees in employment plus the unemployed.
2 The comparison of unemployment rates is affected by seasonal factors and changes in the collection and compilation of data, furthermore unemployment statistics are not available for travel-to-work areas in 1979 on the same basis as 1987 because of major revisions to the boundaries in 1984. Statistics for travel-to-work areas as defined in 1978 are available in the Library.
3 Figures no longer available.
4 Numbers of trainees completing courses and training weeks offered are not available in 1979.
5 STA no longer keeps statistics of trainee hours available the number of training weeks offered is used instead.
6 The Blaenau, Gwent Skillcentre closed in February 1983. The unemployment rate in that month in the Ebbw Vale travel-to-work area was 24.3 per cent. This area is now covered by the Blaenau, Gwent and Abvergavenny travel-to-work area, and an unemployment rate for this area for February 1983 is not available.

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