HC Deb 01 February 1977 vol 925 cc153-4W
36. Mr. Dykes

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what recent discussions he has held with the European Commission on the feasibility of augmenting Training Services Agency financial allocations with additional funds from the Community budget.

Mr. John Grant

Application is already made to the European Social Fund, the appropriate source of Community aid for vocational training, for financial assistance in respect of all eligible activities of the Training Services Agency. Officers of my Department are in constant touch with Commission officials on these and other United Kingdom applications. The scope for augmenting the substantial allocations already received in respect of the Agency's operations is limited by the

Unemployed recorded Seasonally adjusted
Number Percentage Number Percentage
Country Month (000's) rate (000's) rate
England* January 1977 1,123 5.7 1,055 5.3
Scotland* January 1977 183 8.4 161 7.4
Norway* 3rd quarter 1976 16 0.9 20 Not available
Sweden† December 1976 61 1.5 Not available
Switzerland‡ October 1976 13 0.4 Not available
Finland† September 1976 71 3.2 86 3.6
* The numbers unemployed are of those registered at employment offices. The rate is expressed as a percentage of employees—employed and unemployed.
† The numbers unemployed are obtained from a labour force survey. The rate is expressed as a percentage of the civilian labour force.
‡ The numbers unemployed are of those registered at employment offices. The percentage rate is not published, but has been calculated from data of the civilian labour force.

SourcesOECD Main Economic Indicators, Department of Employment labour attache reports, OECD Labour Force statistics.

35. Mr. Neubert

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the revised figure for the number of unemployed at the latest available date, following the return to full working of the statisticians in his Department.

pressures on the Fund's budget of applications from all the member States.