HC Deb 28 July 1981 vol 9 cc398-403W
16. Mr. Leighton

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people are under the age of 25 years; and how this compares with the position in May 1979.

Mr. Prior

At April 1981 the number of people under 25 years of age registered as unemployed in the United Kingdom was 917,161 compared with 451,371 at April 1979.

22. Mr. Winnick

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest number of those who are registered unemployed in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Peter Morrison

At 9 July, the provisional number of people registered as unemployed in the United Kingdom was 2,851,623.

25 Mr. Skinner

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Morrison

At 9 July, the provisional number of people registered as unemployed in the United Kingdom was 2,851,623.

I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Keighley (Mr. Cryer) earlier today.

32. Mr. Chapman

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of hitherto registered unemployed leaving the register during the last month for which figures are available.

Mr. Peter Morrison

The average number of people in Great Britain leaving the register at employment offices each month in the three months ending June was 286,000, seasonally adjusted. Employment offices cover about 9(1 per cent. of the unemployed excluding school leavers.

33. Mr. Dormand

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage of unemployment for Durham county, the Northern region and the United Kingdom as a whole.

Mr. Peter Morrison

At 9 July, the provisional rates of unemployment for the county of Durham, the Northern region and the United Kingdom were 15.8, 15.6 and 11.8 per cent., respectively. The figure for the Northern region is in part estimated.

43. Mr. Gwilym Roberts

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures available for the numbers and proportion of the working population unemployed; how these figures compare with May 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Morrison

At 9 July, the provisional number of people registered as unemployed in the United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted and excluding school leavers, was 2,582,300 and the unemployment rate was 10.7 per cent. The corresponding figures at 10 May 1979 were 1,312,000 and 5.4 per cent.

46. Mr. Newens

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total increase in the number of unemployed persons between May 1979 and the present month.

Mr. Peter Morrison

Between May 1979 and July 1981 the number of people registered as unemployed in the United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted and excluding school leavers, increased by 1,270,300.

Mr. Newens

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the number of unemployed and the percentage which this represents of the total working population for each employment area in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, respectively, for the present and for 10 July 1980.

July 1980 June 1981
Number Percentage rate Number Percentage rate
Norfolk
Cromer 732 8.7 957 11.4
Dereham 757 8.9 1,088 12.8
Diss 683 6.3 1,025 9.4
Downham Market 494 8.2 742 12.3
Fakenham 633 8.6 850 11.5
Great Yarmouth 2,120 5.7 3,244 8.7
Hunstanton 428 12.0 583 16.3
Kings Lynn 2,103 7.5 3,577 12.7
North Walsham 574 6.8 829 9.9
Norwich 6,304 5.5 9,736 8.5
Attleborough 357 556
Wymondham 357 625
Thetford 778 7.4 1,073 10.7
Swaffham 518 719
Brandon (Suffolk) 241 416
Suffolk
Bury St Edmunds 1,184 4.2 1,840 6.5
Haleworth 247 60 395 9.6
Haverhill 709 6.7 1,046 9.9
Leiston 370 7.4 611 12.2
Lowestoft 2,292 7.8 3,187 10.9
Sudbury 833 6.3 1,235 9.4
Beccles 280 4.5 475 7.4
Bungay 174 262
Ipswich 4,114 5.2 5,979 7.4
Felixstowe 427 596
Stowmarket 546 727
Woodbridge 557 751
Newmarket 549 6.4 774 8.9
Mildenhall 458 625
Essex
Clacton-on-Sea 1,772 9.6 2,752 14.9
Colchester 3,727 6.2 5,225 8.7
Harwich 311 3.5 621 7.0
Braintree 1,249 5.7 2,229 10.5
Halstead 259 535
Witham 428 867
Chelmsford 2,311 4.2 3,079 6.1
Burnham-on-Crouch 237 390
Malden 310 693
Harlow 2,669 5.3 3,994 8.2
Epping 338 574
Saffron Walden 223 435
Bishops Stortford (Herts) 666 1,001
Southend-on-Sea 5,452 8.7 7,251 12.2
Basildon 4,627 6,449
Canvey Island 741 1,372
Grays 2,755 4,130
Rayleigh 2,003 2,542
Stanford-le-Hope 618 1,102
Tilbury 800 1,124
Brentwood 1,447 * 1,934 *
Loughton 1,174 * 1,595 *

Mr. Peter Morrison

The following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed at 10 July 1980 and 11 June 1981 in each employment office area in the counties specified. It also gives the percentage rates of unemployment for employment office areas either singly or grouped into travel-to-work areas. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted. The unemployment rates are based on the estimated numbers of employees—employed and unemployed—which differ from the working population in that they exclude the self-employed and members of Her Majesty's Forces.

Where an employment office area is part of a travel-to-work area which straddles a county boundary it is shown in the table as being in the county in which the larger part of its travel-to-work area lies.

Following is the table:

July 1980 June 1981
Number Percentage rate Number Percentage rate
Hertfordshire
Stevenage 2,141 5.4 3,626 9.2
Hertford 624 2.7 1,120 4.9
Hoddesdon 475 823
Hitchin 1,033 4.5 1,800 7.6
Letchworth 988 1,645
Royston 397 631
St. Albans 1,177 2.9 1,854 4.7
Hatfield 483 856
Welwyn Garden City 1,034 1,607
Watford 1,914 3.4 3,480 6.3
Berkhamsted 267 500
Hemel Hempstead 1,856 3,308
Rickmansworth 178 484
Waltham Cross 1,094 * 2,002 *
Cambridgeshire
Cambridge 3,038 3.5 4,336 5.0
Ely 415 4.3 754 7.7
Huntingdon 1,611 6.5 2,301 9.4
March 640 7.8 988 12.0
Peterborough 5,071 7.4 7,661 11.2
St. Neots 405 3.7 813 7.3
Wisbech 1,334 8.3 2,356 14.7
Bedfordshire
Bedford 3,470 4.5 5,682 7.6
Biggleswade 314 684
Luton 5,908 6.1 9,625 10.5
Dunstable 1,600 2,956
Harpenden (Hertfordshire) 282 500
Leighton Buzzard 438 987
* Unemployment rates are not calculated for these areas; they are parts of the Greater London travel-to-work area.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of registered unemployed on a ay stated date for each of the months from May 1979 to June 1981 in Wolverhampton and the West Midlands.

Mr. Peter Morrison

The following is the information. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted.

Wolverhampton employment office area West Midlands region
1979
May 6,565 117,689
June 7,605 121,521
July 9,064 143,111
August 9,135 141,034
September 8,425 135,206
October 8,165 130,023
November 7,733 127,573
December 7,869 126,253
1980
January 8,341 133,287
February 7,945 135,331
March 7,990 136,908

Wolverhampton employment office area
Total unemployed of whom, ethnic minority group workers*
Male Female Male Female
May 1979 4,457 2,108 722 498
May 1981 11,257 4,067 1,638 828
* Unemployed people born in, or whose parents were born in, the New Commonwealth and Pakistan.

Wolverhampton employment office area West Midlands region
April 8,395 142,996
May 8,604 145,429
June 9,830 159,079
July 12,315 196,020
August 13,272 211,141
September 13,339 219,350
October 12,962 221,914
November 13,195 234,391
December 13,633 243,709
1981
January 14,384 264,544
February 14,566 272,833
March 14,818 278,700
April 15,135 287,297
May 15,324 294,112
June 16,749 305,650

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) men, (b) women and (c) ethnic minorities are registered as unemployed in Wolverhampton; and what are the figures for May 1979.

Mr. Peter Morrison

The following is the information at May 1979 and at May 1981, the latest date for which an analysis by ethnic origin is available.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest unemployment figures in the Wolverhampton travel-to-work area; how long is the average period of unemployment; and what is the age breakdown of the unemployment register.

Mr. Peter Morrison

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.