§ Mr. John Pageasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the results of the hundred special surveys which have taken place since 1971 into fraud prevention in connection with those in receipt of unemployment pay.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithThe nature and scope of each special survey is decided locally and detailed information about their results could not be assembled without undue expenditure of staff time. The surveys to which my hon. Friend refers were based in some cases on particular occupations and in others on particular industries, firms or areas. In some cases the information obtained from the surveys led to prosecution. In 1971, the number of prosecutions in unemployment benefit cases was 1,342.
NUMBERS OF YOUNG PERSONS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED, AND OF NOTIFIED VACANCIES REMAINING UNFILLED, AT MARCH, 1972, AT CAREERS OFFICES Registered Unemployed Unfilled Vacancies Boys Girls Boys Girls Airdrie … … … 441 201 6 9 Alexandria … … … 91 78 — 2 Barrhead … … … 32 7 4 12 Bellshill … … … 212 105 — 2 Clydebank … … … 118 65 — 2 Dalry … … … 7 6 — — Dumbarton … … … 71 52 8 11 East Kilbride … … … 46 35 9 12 Glasgow Careers … … … 3 3 4 6 Glasgow City … … … 78 31 13 87 Glasgow South Side … … … 396 139 9 31 Govan … … … 216 139 9 22 Greenock … … … 181 153 1 4 Hamilton … … … 143 125 6 6 Hillington … … … 17 5 — 4 Irvine … … … 41 17 3 25 Johnstone … … … 50 38 3 3 Kilsyth … … … 36 28 1 11 Kilwinning … … … 11 5 — — Kirkintilloch … … … 64 22 3 9 Maryhill … … … 152 91 3 — Motherwell … … … 250 171 1 10 Paisley … … … 196 81 4 12 Parkhead … … … 674 294 10 11 Partick … … … 241 132 13 9 Port Glasgow … … … 61 46 1 13 Renfrew … … … 18 25 — 5 Rutherglen … … … 91 31 4 10 Saltcoats … … … 89 63 1 2 Springburn … … … 380 182 — 5 Ayr* … … … 112 75 8 14 Cumnock* … … … 26 28 1 2 Kilbirnie* … … … 21 23 2 1 Kilmarnock* … … … 74 51 6 7 Largs* … … … 9 1 1 — Newmilns* … … … 4 9 2 1 Troon* … … … 7 2 — — * In Ayrshire but not in the Special Development Areas. The Vacancy statistics relate only to notified vacancies remaining unfilled and do not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for labour.