§ Mr. Ray Powellasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of jobs (a) created and (b) lost in Wales since May 1979; and if he will list them in the travel-to-work areas.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsComprehensive information is not available. Information on the net change m employment levels is best obtained from the estimates of the number of employees in employment compiled by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment and published on a regular basis in theEmployment Gazette. These estimates indicate that between June 1979 and September 1981—the latest available figure—there was a decrease of 113,000 in the number of employees in employment in Wales. Comparable figures are not available at the local level.