§ Mr. George Grantasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of young persons currently unemployed in (a) Ashington, (b) Morpeth, (c) Bedlington, (d) Blyth and (e) the Northern region; and when he anticipates these figures will be reduced.
§ Mr. Jim LesterThe provisional totals of young people under 20 registered unemployed in January 1980 for the towns specified are as follows:
(a) Ashington 396 (b) Morpeth 69 (c) Bedlington 57 (d) Blyth 261 A January figure for the Northern region is not yet available, but I shall notify the hon. Member of it shortly.
It is not the Government's practice to forecast future levels of youth unemployment.
§ Mr. Dempseyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report details showing the numbers of persons registered as unemployed at the most recent convenient date in the United Kingdom, together with percentages of the insurable population in each of the regions that these figures represent.
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§ Mr. Jim LesterThe following table gives the provisional numbers registered as unemployed and the percentage rates of unemployment in the United Kingdom and in each standard region at 10 January. The unemployment rates are based on the estimated numbers of employees—employed and unemployed—and exclude self-employed people and members of Her Majesty's Forces.
Number Percentage rate South-East 294,359 3.9 East Anglia 34,056 4.6 South-West 99,869 6.0 West Midlands 133,287 5.7 East Midlands 79,713 5.0 Yorkshire and Humberside 127,733 6.0 North-West 215,530 7.6 North 125,796 9.0 Wales 90,864 8.3 Scotland 203,232 8.9 Northern Ireland 66,182 11.5 United Kingdom 1,470,621 6.1