§ Mr. David Reedasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if he will publish the number of unemployed in the Sedgefield constituency at the latest available date; and if he will express this number as a percentage of the insured population.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithUnemployment statistics are compiled for Employment Exchange areas and not for Parliamentary constituencies. The Sedgefield constituency includes the whole of the Billingham Employment Exchange area, substantial parts of the Stockton and Thornaby, Wingate, Spennymoor, Shildon, Hartlepool, Darlington and Aycliffe areas and very small parts of the Hartlepool Headland and Bishop Auckland areas.
Following is the information for these employment exchange areas:
TOTAL NUMBERS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED AND PERCENTAGE RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT AT 8TH JUNE, 1970 Registered unemployed Percentage rate Billingham 471 3.5(1) Stockton and Thornaby 2,234 Wingate 590 6.1 (2) Spennymoor 1,006 6.1(3) Shildon 212 Bishop Auckland 862 Hartlepool 2,015 6.0 (4) Hartlepool Headland 314 Darlington 1,255 2.8 (5) Aycliffe 228 The percentage rates of unemployment relate to the following travel-to-work areas:
- (1) Middlesbrough, Billingham, Guisborough, Loftus, Redcar, Saltburn, South Bank, Stockton and Thornaby and Stokesley.
- (2) Peterlee and Wingate.
- (3) Bishop Auckland, Crook, Shildon and Spennymoor.
- (4) Hartlepool and Hartlepool Headland.
- (5) Darlington and Aycliffe.
Rates can be calculated for the whole of a travel-to-work area but not separately for its constituent parts.