HC Deb 27 June 1977 vol 934 cc61-2W
Mr. Sproat

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what local offices of his Department require persons who register as unemployed to register only once a fortnight; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Golding

The following unemployment benefit offices in my Department currently require unemployed claimants to attend and make their claims once a fortnight:

Barrow-in-Furness Hornchurch
Bath Newquay
Bristol Paignton
Brixton Penzance
Camberwell Portsmouth
Deptford Romford
Devonport Swanage
Gateshead Swindon
Gillingham Tidworth
Gloucester Willesden
Harrow Wood Green
Hartlepool

These fortnightly arrangements are introduced as a temporary measure by the authority of the Secretary of State for Social Services under powers contained in Regulation 12 of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1975 when it is impracticable or unduly difficult to operate the normal weekly procedure for dealing with claims to unemployment benefit.

In all the offices listed above the pressure of numbers of unemployed and the inadequacy of premises make it necessary to introduce fortnightly attendance.

In any one week only half the number of claimants are required to attend. Payment of benefit continues to be made weekly in arrears.

Mr. Hall-Davis

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give a breakdown of the crude unemployment figures for June by sex and age to the extent that this information is available to him.

Mr. Golding

The provisional number unemployed in Great Britain at 9th June was 1,390,401, of whom 1,009,343 were males and 381,058 were females. The figure includes 142,807 school leavers under 18 years of age—76,952 males and 65,855 females. There is no detailed age analysis of these figures: this information is obtained only in respect of January and July each year. Broad estimates by age for 9th June indicate that about 1,254,000 were under 60 years of age and about 136,000 were 60 or over.

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