§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been (a) the number of special temporary employment programme and community enterprise programme places offered and (b) the number of long-term unemployed in (i) the United Kingdom as a whole, (ii) each region, (iii) each special programmes division area and (iv) Bishop Auckland constituency for each year since the programmes' inception.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 16 June 1981]. The Manpower Services Commission does not hold all the information in the form requested. The tables show what information is available from central sources.
The special temporary employment programme began on 1 April 1978 and until June 1979 places were not formally allocated to regions. Progress towards the end-of-year targets was monitored centrally and approval given to any schemes which met the programme's criteria. In June 1979 the programme's budget for 1979–80 was reduced and the programme restricted to special development areas, development areas and designated inner urban areas. Close control of expenditure led to the introduction of regional allocations of available places. Each region may determine where places may be made available and details of any allocations to Area Offices are not held centrally.
Statistics relating to the programme's client group—long-term unemployed persons aged 19–25 years and unemployed for six months, and those aged over 25 and unemployed for over 52 weeks are available for each special programmes area for April 1979, April 1980 and January 1981. The April 1981 figures have been delayed by industrial action, and will include an additional category of 18-year-olds unemployed for more than six months to cover the new community enterprise programme criteria.
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Distribution of Long Term Unemployed* by MSC Special Programmes Regions and Areas April 1979 April 1980 January 1981 GREAT BRITAIN 406,700 399,264 399,583 542,086 LONDON N/A 36,410 33,552 46,150 SOUTH-EAST 44,672 40,694 55,669 High Wycombe 9,632 8,736 12,673 Southampton 7,196 6,133 8,230 Horsham 13,060 12,116 15,903 Ipswich 14,784 13,709 18,863 SOUTH-WEST 29,111 27,316 33,808 Bristol 12,724 12,207 15,579 Exeter "1" 8,017 7,136 8,462 Exeter "2" 8,370 7,973 9,767 MIDLANDS 61,886 64,133 94,893 Birmingham 16,582 17,156 24,554 Wolverhampton 15,715 17,379 28,081 Coventry 14,038 14,045 20,534 Nottingham 15,551 15,553 21,724 YORKS AND HUMBERSIDE 37,567 37,189 51,073 Sheffield 11,463 12,076 16,808 Leeds 14,224 14,931 21,630 Hull 8,135 7,760 10,495 York 3,745 2,422 3,140 NORTH-WEST 67,684 9,376 93,969 Liverpool Inner 21,065 23,248 26,499 Liverpool Outer 12,341 12,967 15,952 Cheshire 6,175 6,178 8,894 Manchester 19,975 19,892 30,989 Preston 8,128 8,091 11,635 NORTHERN 41,218 41,144 53,963 Darlington 6,287 6,630 8,901 Middlesbrough 7,963 9,056 12,855 Newcastle 23,798 9,554 12,047 Sunderland 12,706 15,672 Workington 3,270 3,198 4,488 WALES 26,731 27,755 36,073 Cardiff 13,764 14,998 19,666 Swansea 5,646 6,333 8,561 Wrexham 7,321 6,424 7,846 SCOTLAND 53,985 57,424 75,488 Dundee 6,157 5,663 7,704 Dumfries 1,498 1,543 2,004 Edinburgh 11,468 11,385 14,888 Inverness 2,004 2,311 2,668 Glasgow "A" 19,278 21,502 28,652 Glasgow "B" 13,580 15,020 19,572 * Aged 19–24=2 weeks; (over 25=52 weeks).