§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to obtain figures of the numbers of unemployed disabled people (a) required to register for employment normally, (b) required to register for employment only quarterly and (c) not required to register; and if he will then divide each category by length of unemployment.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 11 March 1981, c. 335.]: Of the unemployed disabled people registering for employment those required to sign the unemployment register normally totalled 170,662 at 15 January 1981, the latest date available.
The Department of Employment does not maintain statistics to show the number of unemployed disabled people included in this figure required to sign the unemployment register quarterly.
Certain unemployed disabled people who are considered by the Manpower Services Commission's disablement resettlement officers to have no reasonable prospects of employment may be invited to cease their registration for employment, and may have the 29W requirement to sign the unemployment register removed. Such people would not subsequently be counted amongst the unemployed.
Information on the length of unemployment is only available in respect of those unemployed disabled people required to register for employment normally. At 9 October 1980, the latest date available, the information is as follows:
Duration of Unemployment Numbers of disabled people One week or less 2,839 Over 1 and up to 2 weeks 3,953 Over 2 and up to 4 weeks 6,371 Over 4 and up to 6 weeks 5,994 Over 6 and up to 8 weeks 5,217 Over 8 and up to 13 weeks 12,131 Over 13 and up to 26 weeks 23,273 Over 26 and up to 39 weeks 15,737 Over 39 and up to 52 weeks 11,064 Over 52 and up to 65 weeks 9,048 Over 65 and up to 78 weeks 6,573 Over 78 and up to 104 weeks 9,224 Over 104 and up to 156 weeks 12,247 Over 156 weeks 33,409