§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish the total number of man-hours lost through unemployment in the last five years; and what are the latest figures.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithThe number of man-hours lost through unemployment is not known, but the following table shows, for Great Britain, the estimated number of working days lost in each of the five years ending in May each year.
Unemployment in Great Britain Estimated number of working days lost* Year ended Millions 13th May, 1968 … … … 141.7 12th May, 1969 … … … 138.7 11th May, 1970 … … … 144.3 10th May, 1971 … … … 163.8 8th May, 1972 … … … 236.1 * On the basis of 250 working days in a year.