§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the current level of unemployment in the Kirklees and Oldham areas for the latest date available; and how these figures compare with the corresponding statistics for the same period during the last six years.
§ Mr. Jim Lester[pursuant to his reply, 2 June 1980, c. 437]: The following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed at May each year from 1974 in the area covered by the Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Batley and Spen Valley employment offices, which closely corresponds to the Kirklees metropolitan 689W council area, and for the Oldham and Chadderton employment office area.
Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Batley and Spen Valley employment office areas Oldham and Chadderton employment office area May 1974 2,231 1,237 May 1975 4,149 2,212 May 1976 6,599 3,447 May 1977 6,425 3,430 May 1978 6,963 3,325 May 1979 6,461 2,889 May 1980* (provisional) 9,581 3,991 *The figures for May 1980 are not strictly comparable with those for earlier years because of the introduction, in September 1979, of fortnightly attendance and payment of benefit. Estimates are not available for individual local areas but for the country as a whole the figures are about 1½ per cent. higher than they would have been under weekly attendance.