§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many building workers are now unemployed in the whole of Scotland, and in Strathclyde, respectively; and what is his estimate of the annual cost to public funds of maintaining this level of unemployment in this industry in Scotland.
§ Mr. GoldingThe numbers of workers unemployed at 12th August 1976—the latest date for which figures are available—in Scotland and Strathclyde who were last employed in the construction industry 731W were 28,290—27,803 males—and 17,164—16,849 males—respectively.
I regret that we cannot make a meaningful estimate of the cost to public funds of a particular group of unemployed people, as the cost varies according to each person's circumstances—in particular his family status, dependants, national insurance contribution record, and length of time spent on the unemployed register.