Mr. RathlboneTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list in rank order the travel-to-work areas in the south-east region which have consistently recorded an unemployment rate above the national average for the previous 12 months.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe information requested can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.
§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list for each European Community country(a) the numbers of people unemployed for the latest month for which comparable figures are available and (b) the percentage of the work force which this represents.
§ Mr. McLoughlinComparable estimates on the numbers of people unemployed in European Community countries are not available on a monthly basis.
251WThe following table provides the extent of the readily available information on rates.
Comparable seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in EC countries (OECD standardised rates)1 Country Unemployment rate Month Spain 17.5 May Ireland 16.6 November France 10.3 September United Kingdom 10.2 October Italy 9.9 July Denmark1 9.6 October Belgium 8.1 October Greece3 7.0 1990 Netherlands 6.8 September Germany2 4.7 September Portugal 4.1 August Luxembourg1 2.0 October 1 For those countries for which no OECD standardised rates are available, similar harmonised rates compiled by the Statistical Office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT). 2 There are no reliable figures available as yet for a unified Germany. The rate quoted is for what was formerly West Germany. 3 There are no recent comparable monthly figures available for Greece. The figure quoted is for the spring of 1990.