HC Deb 09 December 1977 vol 940 cc936-9W
Mr. Sillars

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will express the unemployment rate in Strathclyde relative to that in each English region; and if he will show how this compares with the position in October 1964 and 1974.

Mr. Golding

The boundaries of some regions changed in April 1965. In the following table information is given for October 1965, October 1974 and October 1977.

respectively; and if he will show how this compares with each year since 1969.

Mr. Golding

The following table gives unemployment rates for the areas specified:

East Anglia

South-West—St. Ives and Swanage.

West Midlands—Uttoxeter.

East Midlands—Bourne, Clay Cross, Grantham and Mablethorpe.

Yorkshire and Humberside—Filey, Knottingley, Malton, Ripon, Royston, South Elmsall, Thorne and Whitby.

North West—Birkenhead, Bootle, Garston, Kirkby, Liverpool, Morecambe, Northwich, Old Swan, St. Annes-on-Sea, Walton and Manchester.

North—Barnard Castle, Bedlington, Birtley, East Bolden, Haltwhistle, Hexham, Saltbum, South Shields, Stanley, Walker, Whitley Bay, Wingate and Workington.

Wales—Amlwch, Bethesda, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Blaenavon, Caernarvon, Garnant, Milford Haven, Penygroes, Pontlottyn, Pwllheli and Ten by.

Scotland—Campbeltown, Castle Douglas, Edinburgh, Govan, Huntly, Lerwick, Lesmahagow, Maryhill, Oban, Sanquhar, Stornoway, Stranraer, Thurso, West Calder and Wick.

Northern Ireland—Armagh, Ballymoney, Downpatrick, Kilkeel, Newcastle, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Newry and Strabane.

Mr. David Mitchell

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of total unemployed for more than 26 weeks at the date of the October 1977 unemployment count; if he will express this as a percentage of all employees; and what were the corresponding figures at the time of the October count for each previous year since 1945.

Mr. Golding

The present series of unemployment statistics started in July 1948. The following table shows the numbers registered for more than 26 weeks at September each year up to 1961 and at October thereafter expressed as percentages of the total numbers of employees, employed and unemployed:

Registered for more than 26 weeks (000's) Percentage of total employees (employed and unemployed)
September 1948… 69.4 0.3
September 1949… 59.7 0.3
September 1950… 62.2 0.3
September 1951… 42.5 0.2
September 1952… 59.4 0.3
September 1953… 60.5 0.3
September 1954… 48.9 0.2
September 1955… 37.6 0.2
September 1956… 40.6 0.2
September 1957… 56.7 0.3
September 1958… 90.1 0.4
September 1959… 112.5 0.5
September 1960… 90.9 0.4

NUMBERS UNEMPLOYED AND PERCENTAGE RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR OF INDUSTRY IN GREAT BRITAIN AT NOVEMBER 1977
Numbers unemployed Percentage rate of unemployement
A.Total, All Industries and Services 1,437,963 6.2
B.Public Sector
Central and Local Government
MLH Number Industry
872 Educational Services 25,292
874 Medical and Dental Services 22,428
901 National Government Services 29,883
906 Local Government Services 48,576
Total of Central and Local Government 126,179 2.7

September 1961 77.5 0.3
October 1962. 109.9 0.5
October 1963 135.5 0.6
October 1964 99.3 0.4
October 1965 82.3 0.4
October 1966 79.8 0.3
October 1967 143.9 0.6
October 1968 157.6 0.7
October 1969 157.2 0.7
October 1970 171.9 0.7
October 1971 238.0 1.1
October 1972 294.1 1.3
October 1973 204.7 0.9
October 1974 199.7 0.9
October 1975 315.7 1.4
October 1976*
October 1977 557.1 2.4
*Because of industrial action by some staff in the Department of Employment Group, figures for October 1976 are not available.

Mr. Lawson

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will now provide the information promised in the Written Answer to the hon. Member for Blaby on 24th November;

(2) if he will provide figures for the percentage unemployed in the public and private sectors of the economy in November, on the same basis as that contained in the table published in Written Answers, Official Report, 22nd February 1977, c. 557.

Mr. Golding,

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 24th November 1977; Vol. 939, c. 831–2], gave the following information:

Separate unemployment rates for the private and public sectors can be calculated only in an imprecise way by allocating the figures for each Minimum List Heading of the Standard Industrial Classification to the sector appropriate to the majority in each heading. On this basis, the percentages for November were 5.7 in the private sector and 3 in the public sector.

Remainder of Public Sector
MLH Number Industry
101 Coal mining 19,721
311 Iron and steel 12,924
312 Steel tubes 1,564
384 Locomotives and railway track equipment 393
385 Railway carriages and wagons and trams 419
601 Gas 3,151
602 Electricity 4,754
603 Water Supply 1,245
701 Railways 6,425
702 Road passenger transport 10,345
706 Port and inland water transport 3,263
707 Air transport 2,658
708 Postal services and telecommunications 10,629
Total for Remainder of Public Sector 77,491
Grand total of Public Sector 203,670
C.Not elsewhere classified
Ex-HM Forces 4,639
School leavers etc 304,674
Total not elsewhere classified 309,413
Total, Private Sector: A-(B+C) 924,980

Mr. Sillars

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table of those Scottish employment exchange areas where there is an exceptional number of people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months and more than two years.

Mr. Gregor MacKenzie

I have been asked to reply.

I regret that this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Forward to