§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest unemployment figures for the Merseyside special development area; what were the comparable figures in March 1979; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AlisonAt February 1982, the number of people registered as unemployed in the Merseyside special
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Notified vacancies remaining unfilled March 1979 February 1982 At employment offices At careers offices At employment offices At careers offices Liverpool travel-to-work area 1,906 60 1,525 27 Merseyside Special Development Area 2,899 98 2,250 45 development area was 130,685 compared with 79,331 at March 1979. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted.
The Government's policies are aimed at developing a soundly based economy which means among other things bringing down inflation. As this is achieved and productivity continues to improve British firms will become increasingly competitive. This is the only way to create new and secure jobs not only on Merseyside but throughout the country.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of unemployed young people in the Merseyside special development area aged 21 years and 18 years, respectively, at the latest date; and what were the figures in March 1979.
§ Mr. AlisonThe numbers registered as unemployed are analysed by age in January, April, July and October and the following table gives the available information for April 1979 and January 1982 for the area specified. The figures, which include school leavers, do not separately identify those aged 21 years.
Age April 1979 January 1982 18 years 4,761 7,557 19 years 4,899 9,090 20–24 years 15,669 28,186
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many job vacancies there were in the Liverpool travel-to-work area at the most recent date; and what the figures were for March 1979;
(2) how many job vacancies there were in the Merseyside special development area at the most recent date; and how many vacancies there were in March 1979.
§ Mr. AlisonThe following table gives the numbers of vacancies remaining unfilled at employment offices and careers offices in the areas specified at February 1982 and March 1979. The figures relate only to vacancies notified to employment offices and careers offices; vacancies notified to employment offices are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the country as a whole. Because of possible duplication the figures for employment offices and carreers offices should not be added together.
The number of vacancies unfilled at a particular date takes no account of the flow of vacancies being notified, filled or withdrawn which would reflect activity more closely. For example, during the twelve month period to December 1981, 37,052 people were placed in jobs by employment offices in the Merseyside special development area. It is estimated that the public employment service accounts for about one in four of all placings.
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§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to reduce unemployment among young people in Liverpool and Merseyside; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonUnemployment, including youth unemployment, will fall in Liverpool and elsewhere with the success of the Government's economic policies designed to increase the competitiveness of British industry and promote growth. In the meantime, the youth opportunities programme aims to help unemployed young people with appropriate courses of work experience and training.
The Government have announced their proposals for training all young people in their White Paper "A New Training Initiative: A Programme for Action"—Cmnd. 8455.