§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of people in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Kirklees, (c) Greater Manchester and (d) Oldham who took advantage of earlier retirement under the job release scheme in 1980, 1981 and for the latest date available; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AlisonI regret that the information is not available in the exact form requested. Detailed statistics on coverage in any particular year are not held below regional level. The following table details the "snap-shot" coverage figure in the areas requested in April 1980, April 1981, April 1982 and at the end of June 1982.
In Great Britain at the latest date a total of 68,370 people were being supported under the scheme, and since its introduction in January 1977 a total of 195,006 people have received allowances under the scheme. I am very pleased with the response to the scheme, which continues to be a very cost-effective employment measure.