§ Mr. Frank R. Whiteasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many school leavers are registered as unemployed in the Bury and Radcliffe travel-
12WNormanton), Official Report, 19 May, column 88, if he will show the costs of indexed pensions in the public sector yearly since 1971–72 at constant prices.
§ Mr. ChannonThe table below sets out the approximate expenditure under the main public service pension schemes at 1978–79 prices in the financial years since 1971. I regret that final figures for 1979–80 are not yet available.
Over the same period, the number of public service pensioners rose from about 970,000 to about 1,400,000. The remainder of the increase in cost is attributable to a number of factors including the decreasing proportion of pensions based on the lower pay rates of earlier decades, an increase in the average length of service in pensionable employment and some improvements in scheme benefits, particularly widows' pensions.
to-work areas; what percentage of these is female; and what were the comparable figures for 1979, 1978 and 1977.
§ Mr. Jim LesterFollowing is the information at June each year for the Bury travel-to-work area, which comprises the Bury, Heywood and Radcliffe employment office areas.
Total school leavers registered as unemployed Number Females included in total Per cent. June 1977 314 43.6 June 1978 306 44.4 June 1979 321 43.6 June 1980 (provisional) 783 42.0