HC Deb 24 March 1982 vol 20 cc377-9W
Mr. Hudson Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in England and Wales have been unemployed for longer than 12 months; and what is the percentage which this represents of the adult population as a whole.

Mr. Alison

At 14 January, the latest date for which the information is available, the number of people registered as unemployed in England and Wales for over 52 weeks was 759,101, representing 3.6 per cent. of total employees—employed and unemployed.

Mr. Arthur Davidson

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest unemployment figures for (a) North-East Lancashire and (b) Accrington; and if he will compare these with the 1979 figures.

Mr. Alison

At March 1982, the provisional numbers of people registered as unemployed in North-East Lancashire and in the Accrington employment office area were 27,748 and 3,356, respectively. The corresponding figures at March 1979 were 9,966 and 1,064.

Mr. Allen McKay

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were unemployed in each of the travel-to-work areas in Yorkshire in 1974, 1978, 1979 and at the latest available date for 1982.

Mr. Alison

[pursuant to his reply, 18 March 1982, c. 182]: The following table gives the numbers registered as unemployed in the areas specified at February in each of the years 1978, 1979 and 1982. Figures on a comparable basis for 1974 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

February 1978 February 1979 February 1982
Wakefield* 3,882 3,978 8,522
Whitby 635 699 1,308
York 3,648 3,617 6,609
* Travel-to-work area comprising two or more employment office areas.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were unemployed in each of the travel-to-work areas in the West Midlands in (a) May 1979 and (b) February 1982; and if he will break the figures down to show men and women.

May 1979 February 1982
Male Female Total Male Female Total
*Birmingham 29,416 10,733 40,149 86,061 29,243 115,304
Burton-on-Trent 860 413 1,273 2,812 1,111 3,923
*Coventry 9,900 5,529 15,429 27,143 10,517 37,660
*Dudley/Sandwell 8,690 3,529 12,219 34,186 12,200 46,386
Evesham 280 119 399 813 289 1,102
Hereford 1,238 642 1,880 2,814 1,303 4,117
*Kidderminster 1,370 615 1,985 3,761 1,872 5,633
Leamington 1,282 608 1,890 3,837 1,589 5,426
Ledbury 175 51 226 335 89 424
Leek 411 139 550 860 361 1,221
Leominster 315 70 385 548 229 777
Ludlow 370 120 490 840 314 1,154
Market Drayton 234 115 349 573 301 874
*Oakengates 2,885 1,575 4,460 8,937 3,130 12,067
Oswestry 539 181 720 1,213 487 1,700
Redditch 1,017 516 1,533 3,821 1,788 5,609
Ross on Wye 220 84 304 539 221 760
Rugby 874 617 1,491 2,503 1,250 3,753
Shrewsbury 1,140 397 1,537 3,102 1,507 4,609
*Stafford 1,158 531 1,689 3,195 1,442 4,637
*Stoke on Trent 6,096 1,973 8,069 18,931 9,175 28,106
Stratford on Avon 374 110 484 1,243 523 1,766
Utoxeter 168 81 249 590 202 792
*Walsall 5,775 2,654 8,429 20,798 8,379 29,177
Whitchurch 163 56 219 543 161 704
*Wolverhampton 5,616 2,565 8,181 17,713 6,078 23,791
*Worcester 2,254 846 3,100 6,289 2,224 8,513
* Travel-to-work area comprising two or more employment office areas.