§ Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of persons presently working short-time in the Coventry travel-to-work area; and what was the number of such persons (a) six months ago and (b) 12 months ago.
§ Mr. Jim LesterInformation is not available for local areas but in the week ended 17 May 1980 there were 40,300 operatives in manufacturing industries on short-time working, either for the whole or for part of the week, in the West Midlands region. For similar periods six months and 12 months earlier—that is, for the weeks ended 10 November 1979 and 5 May 1979—the numbers were 16,900 and 10,100, respectively.
§ Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many school leavers at the last school leaving date in Coventry were registered as unemployed.
§ Mr. Jim LesterWhilst the statistics do not separately distinguish summer school leavers, between 8 May and 10 July the numbers of unemployed school leavers under 18 years of age in the Coventry employment office area increased from 432 to 2,903. The Government and the Manpower Services Commission have undertaken that all 1980 school leavers who remain unemployed and all young people who have been unemployed for 12 months or more will be offered places on the youth opportunities programme by the end of March 1981.