HC Deb 11 February 1976 vol 905 c251W
Dr. Edmund Marshall

asked the Secretary of State for Employment why he is unable to calculate the rate of unemployment for the area covered by his Department's office at Thorne, South Yorkshire.

Mr. John Fraser

A large number of the residents of Thorne who are in employment work in Doncaster. To obtain a rate of unemployment by dividing the numbers of unemployed persons registered at the Thorne employment office by the numbers working in Thorne would therefore be misleading. Up-to-date estimates of the numbers of employees by area of residence rather than area of workplace are not available.

Dr. Edmund Marshall

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many men and women, respectively, were insured employees employed or unemployed in the area covered by his Department's office at Thorne, South Yorkshire, in June 1973; and how many men and women, respectively, in that area were unemployed in January 1976.

Mr. John Fraser

In the Thorne employment office area the estimated numbers of employees, including the unemployed, at June 1973 were 5,462 males and 3,795 females. At January 1976, 1,045 males and 353 females were unemployed. As explained in reply to my hon. Friend's earlier Question today, Thorne forms part of a wider travel-to-work area and a meaningful unemployment rate cannot be compiled from the employment and unemployment figures for this area in isolation.