§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will state the last year in which average unemployment was as high as it was, on average, in 1977.
§ Mr. Golding, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 6th March 1978; Vol. 945, c. 504–5], gave the following information:
Estimates on a basis broadly comparable to current definitions indicate that the unemployment rate in 1939 was higher—significantly so—than in 1977. In addition, the temporarily stopped were very much higher.