HC Deb 24 April 1980 vol 983 cc253-7W

Mr. Wigley asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the estimated change in population of males aged between 15 and 65 years and females aged between 15 and 60 years over the period 1966 to 1976 and

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

The following table gives the numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled and the numbers of people registered as unemployed at April each year.

The vacancy figures relate only to those notified to employment offices and careers offices and reflect only a proportion of total demand in the economy. Moreover, possible duplication between the separate figures for employment offices and careers offices means that the two figures can not be added together and used to provide the ratios requested.

of persons who were at that time designated as employees in employment, self-employed, engaged in full-time education, registered unemployed, permanently retired or not working because of sickness or injury, respectively, and the balance who do not fit into any of these categories.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

The information is given in the attached table:

1976 to date in each of the counties of Wales.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

The table below gives data for the periods 1971–1976 and 1976–1978. Information on the age of the population by county is not available for earlier years.

Thousands
1971 1976 Change 1971–1976 1978 Change 1976–1978
Males Females Males Females Males Females Males Females Males Females
15–64 15–59 15–64 15–59 15–64 15–59 15–64 15–59 15–64 15–59
Clwyd … … 106.6 99.3 114.8 105.1 8.2 5.8 117.9 107.8 3.1 2.7
Dyfed … … 97.0 90.1 99.8 99.4 2.8 4.3 102.5 93.5 2.7 –0.9
Gwent … … 138.0 126.1 139.2 126.9 1.2 0.8 139.8 129.1 0.6 2.2
Gwynedd … … 65.7 58.1 68.7 60.7 3.0 2.6 69.5 62.7 0.8 2.3
Mid Glamorgan … … 165.0 151.9 169.2 154.3 4.2 2.4 170.0 156.6 0.8 2.3
Powys … … 30.8 26.6 33.8 28.8 3.0 2.2 34.7 29.4 0.9 0.6
South Glamorgan … … 121.5 111.7 121.1 111.3 –0.4 –0.4 121.4 113.3 0.3 2.0
West Glamorgan … … 115.9 107.7 114.3 106.9 –1.6 –0.8 113.9 108.5 –0.4 1.6
WALES … … 840.5 771.5 860.9 788.4 20.4 16.9 869.7 800.9 8.8 12.5

Source: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys New Series Population Estimates.

Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the effect on the population of normal working age in Wales of raising the school-leaving age from 15 to 16 years in each year since the decision was taken.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

The effect of the raising of the school-leaving age in 1972–73 was to reduce the size of the population available for employment very approximately by the number of 15-year-olds. The table below gives the 15-year-old population of Wales at 30 June in each year from 1973 to 1978. No population data are vet available for 1979.

Population aged 15 years
Year ('000)
1973 40.1
1974 41.1
1975 41.2
1976 43.1
1977 44.0
1978 44.5

Source: Office of Population

Censuses and Surveys

New Series Population Estimate

Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for the whole of Wales the estimated population of normal working age for each year from 1966 to the present time.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

The information requested is as follows:

Working age population
Year ('000)
1966 1,650.0
1967 1,647.9
1968 1,642.6
1969 1,636.7
1970 1,636.2
1971 1,612.0
1972 1,615.4
1973 1,583.5
1974 1,590.1
1975 1,597.7
1976 1,606.2
1977 1,614.3
1978 1,626.1
Source: Office of Population

Censuses and Surveys

N.B. Working age for 1966–1972 is defined 15–59/64

Working age for 1973–1978 is defined as 16–59/64

Registrar General's Mid-Year Estimates of Home Population at 30 June of each year. New Series Estimate for 1971 onwards.