HC Deb 01 July 1968 vol 767 cc156-7W
14. Mr. Leadbitter

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many wholly unemployed were registered in the Northern Region in the years 1962, 1963, 1967 and 1968, giving the highest and lowest figures for each of those years.

Mr. Fernyhough

Following is the information:

NUMBERS REGISTERED AS WHOLLY UNEMPLOYED IN THE NORTHERN REGION
Annual Average Highest Lowest
1962 45,955 60,535 38,955
1963 60,539 72,005 50,510
1967 51,711 57,597 46,801
Average for first six months
1968 (January-June). 58,713 (provisional) 61,069 55,903 (provisional)

16. Mr. Leadbitter

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity how many men over 40 years of age are unemployed in the Northern Region and Hartlepool, respectively; how many have been out of work for more than six months and 12 months; and if she will make a statement on the future prospects of this age group.

Mr. Fernyhough

Detailed age analyses of the unemployed register are made only in January and July each year. They relate to the wholly unemployed and exclude casual and temporarily stopped workers.

At 8th January, 1968, there were 915 men over 40 years of age registered as wholly unemployed in the area covered by the Hartlepool and Hartlepool Headland Employment Exchanges. Of these 427 had been registered for more than 26 weeks, and 277 for more than 52 weeks. Comparable figures for the Northern Region were 24,272, 11,006 and 6,912, respectively.

Like my hon. Friend, I am very concerned about the difficulties which face older men in the present economic climate. My local officers are doing all they can to persuade employers to select staff on merits, rather than age.

58. Mr. R. W. Elliott

asked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she is aware that recent figures show that the unemployment position in the Northern Region has considerably worsened over the past year; and what steps Her Majesty's Government are now taking to reverse this trend.

Mr. Femyhough

I am aware that the number of unemployed in the Northern Region is now some 15 per cent. higher than it was a year ago. The introduction last year of the Regional Employment Premium and additional incentives to industrial expansion in places where collieries, are closing are recent measures designed to reinforce existing policies for

NUMBERS OF STOPPAGES OF WORK DUE TO INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES 1960–67
Country 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967
Australia 1,145 815 1,183 1,250 1,334 1,346 1,273
Belgium 61 38 40 48 41 43 74
Canada 274 287 311 332 343 501 617
Denmark 82 34 26 19 40 37 22
Finland 44 51 46 66 76 29 150
France 1,494 1,963 1,884 2,382 2,281 1,674 1,711
Federal Republic of Germany (inch West Berlin)
India 1,583 1,357 1,491 1,471 2,151 1,910 2,210
Ireland 49 96 60 70 87 89 112
Italy 2,471 3,502 3,652 4,145 3,841 3,191 2,387
Japan 1,063 1,401 1,299 1,079 1,234 1,542 1,252
Netherlands 121 43 24 104 53 60 20
New Zealand 60 71 96 60 93 105 145
Norway 12 19 8 8 3 7 7
Sweden 31 12 10 24 14 8 19
Switzerland 8 2 4 1 2 2
United Kingdom 2,832 2,686 2,449 2,068 2,524 2,354 1,937 2,116
United States of America 3,333 3,367 3,614 3,362 3,655 3,963 4,405
Sources: United Kingdom: Department of Employment and Productivity.Other countries: I.L.O. Year Book of Labour Statistics 1967.
Provisional. … Not available.