HC Deb 02 April 1984 vol 57 cc388-93W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the male, female and combined average rates of unemployment in (a) Grimsby, (b) Sunderland and (c) the Scunthorpe travel-to-work areas for each of the past six years and in the latest available month.

Mr. Alan Clark

The following table gives the annual average percentage rates of unemployment in the Grimsby, Wearside (which includes Sunderland) and Scunthorpe travel-to-work areas. The figures from 1978 to 1982 relate to registered unemployed and those for 1983 and the latest available month are for unemployed claimants.

claimants at unemployment benefit offices at the latest date for which statistics are available in each travel-to-work area in the county of Cumbria.

Mr. Alan Clark

The following is the information for 12 January, the latest date for which the statistics are available.

Number
Carlisle 472
*Furness 331
*Kendal 118
Keswick 28
Penrith 90
*Whitehaven 244
*Workington 313
* Travel-to-work area comprising two or more jobcentre areas.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of young people who have become unemployed and who have registered at unemployment benefit offices in each travel-to-work area in Cumbria in the last month for which statistics are available.

Mr. Alan Clark

The following table gives, for the areas specified, the numbers of claimants aged under 18 years who became unemployed between the unemployment counts taken on 9 February and 8 March.

Number
Carlisle 56
*Furness 43
*Kendal 14
Keswick 2
Penrith 12
*Whitehaven 32
*Workington 33
* Travel-to-work area comprising two or more jobcentre areas.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many redundancy notifications were given during the last month for which statistics are available in the Workington travel-to-work area;

(2)how many redundancies in (a) the textile industry, (b) machine tool engineering, (c) general engineering, (d)

Males
Duration of unemployment in weeks 16 17 18 19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60–64 65 and over Total
One or less 14 29 20 23 82 48 48 37 21 16 13 31 24 0 406
Over 1 and up to 2 9 21 24 19 60 36 37 17 20 20 19 26 20 0 326
Over 2 and up to 4 11 25 17 25 108 71 62 50 39 23 16 35 21 0 503
Over 4 and up to 6 19 15 35 31 136 73 59 44 38 32 29 24 12 0 547
Over 6 and up to 8 16 35 35 32 118 73 61 49 35 32 30 41 31 0 588
Over 8 and up to 13 24 75 80 64 296 170 136 118 82 84 59 73 63 0 1,324
Over 13 and up to 26 97 204 265 154 499 240 206 195 142 105 137 208 124 0 2,570
Over 26 and up to 39 2 129 138 65 271 151 122 111 74 72 65 97 101 0 1,398
Over 39 and up to 52 3 83 83 56 157 104 79 73 54 57 48 105 91 0 993
Over 52 and up to 65 0 17 52 56 150 96 83 85 64 50 49 84 23 1 810
Over 65 and up to 78 0 24 47 56 117 113 62 57 49 48 43 101 10 0 727
Over 78 and up to 104 0 1 34 93 162 123 111 97 65 59 75 160 14 0 994
Over 104 and up to 156 0 0 15 55 280 189 159 149 117 106 122 214 17 0 1,423
Over 156 and up to 208 0 0 0 4 162 128 112 99 71 79 102 112 6 0 875
Over 208 and up to 260 0 0 0 0 47 55 41 34 43 39 45 40 5 0 349
Over 260 0 0 0 0 12 23 27 28 28 48 79 123 8 0 376
Total Males 195 658 845 733 2,657 1,693 1,405 1,243 942 870 931 1,474 570 1 14,217
Females
Duration of unemployment in weeks 16 17 18 19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60 and over Total
One or less 22 25 31 37 84 47 18 23 16 11 7 7 0 328
Over 1 and up to 2 12 23 34 18 77 26 12 8 9 7 11 12 0 249

service traders and (e) steel fabrication work were made in the last month for which statistics are available in the Workington travel-to-work area.

Mr. Alan Clark

Nineteen* redundancies were confirmed as due to occur in the Workington travel-to-work area during February 1984, the latest month for which statistics are available, all of them in metal manufacturing (class 22 on the 1980 standard industrial classification). There was one advance notification of redundancies in February, involving 20 redundancies.

* Provisional.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the Workington travel-to-work area have been unemployed for (a) up to six months, (b) six months to 12 months, (c) 12 months to 18 months, (d) 18 months to two years and (e) over two years during the last month for which statistics are available.

Mr. Alan Clark

The following table gives the number of unemployed claimants in the Workington travel-to-work area who, on 12 January, the latest date for which the statistics are available, had been unemployed for the lengths of time specified.

Duration in weeks Number
Up to 26 weeks 2,073
Over 26 and up to 52 weeks 975
Over 52 and up to 78 weeks 665
Over 78 and up to 104 weeks 437
Over 104 weeks 1,238

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the unemployment figures for the county of Cumbria, categorised by sex, age and the duration of unemployment, for the last month for which statistics are available.

Mr. Alan Clark

The following is the information for unemployed claimants in the county of Cumbria on 12 January, the latest date for which the statistics are available:

Duration of unemployment in weeks 16 17 18 19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54 55–59 60 and over Total
Over 2 and up to 4 5 24 37 29 105 43 30 20 16 10 11 8 0 338
Over 4 and up to 6 11 27 23 33 108 38 30 23 17 15 15 8 0 348
Over 6 and up to 8 20 28 34 31 110 68 35 16 20 16 19 11 0 410
Over 8 and up to 13 29 89 108 101 331 146 59 53 46 31 35 27 0 1,055
Over 13 and up to 26 71 204 263 165 410 279 135 92 64 76 67 54 0 1,880
Over 26 and up to 39 3 56 66 70 274 180 79 50 35 52 26 45 0 936
Over 39 and up to 52 1 44 61 45 173 137 87 51 38 34 41 38 0 750
Over 52 and up to 65 0 20 39 49 128 74 30 34 30 20 31 23 0 478
Over 65 and up to 78 0 29 38 52 87 59 25 18 17 18 28 31 0 402
Over 78 and up to 104 0 0 30 58 92 51 28 21 24 24 28 36 0 392
Over 104 and up to 156 0 0 15 31 133 52 33 17 24 33 51 73 0 462
Over 156 and up to 208 0 0 0 10 79 28 8 10 10 20 37 40 0 242
Over 208 and up to 260 0 0 0 0 21 6 4 8 6 7 13 37 0 102
Over 260 0 0 0 0 14 7 5 4 5 11 24 50 1 121
Total Females 174 569 779 729 2,226 1,241 618 450 377 385 444 500 1 8,493

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young persons aged 16 to 18 years were unemployed in the Workington travel-to-work area during the last month for which statistics are available.

Mr. Alan Clark

On 12 January, the latest date for which the statistics are available, the number of unemployed claimants aged 18 years and under in the Workington travel-to-work area was 645.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what proportion of (a) unemployed

Travel-to-work area Unemployed for over 52 and up to 104 weeks Per cent. Unemployed for over 104 and up to 156 weeks Per cent. Unemployed for over 156 weeks Per cent.
Male Female Male Female Male Female
*Furness 15.1 16.7 6.7 6.2 10.9 5.1
*Kendal 12.8 9.8 5.6 3.4 3.8 2.4
*Whitehaven 21.2 16.1 10.3 5.3 13.1 6.0
Carlisle 16.3 12.2 8.7 4.0 14.2 4.5
Keswick 11.4 7.3 5.7 2.9 3.8 2.9
Penrith 14.9 12.4 7.0 3.3 8.4 4.0
*Workington 21.5 18.3 15.9 7.9 10.7 8.1
* Travel-to-work area comprising two or more jobcentre areas.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, how many jobs in the Workington travel-to-work area were being supported by the temporary short-time working scheme during the last month for which statistics are available.

Mr. Alan Clark

There were 12 potentially redundant jobs being supported under the temporary short-time working compensation scheme in February 1984 in the Workington travel-to-work area.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons, both male and female, were placed in employment by the Workington jobcentre in the last month for which statistics are available.

Mr. Peter Morrison

Workington jobcentre placed 117 people in the four-week period ending 2 March 1984, the latest for which statistics are available. Separate figures for males and females are not compiled monthly.

There is likely to have been a substantial number of people who found jobs in the area other than through the jobcentre. Nationally it is estimated that about a quarter of all engagements are made through jobcentres.

males and (b) unemployed females in the Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal, Whitehaven, Carlisle, Keswick and Penrith travel-to-work areas had been out of work for (a) one year, (b) two years and (c) three years at the latest available date.

(2) what proportion of (a) unemployed males and (b) unemployed females in the Workington travel-to-work area had been out of work for (i) one year, (ii) two years and (iii) three years at the latest available date.

Mr. Alan Clark

The following is the information for unemployed claimants on 12 January, the latest date for which the statistics are available.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of persons unemployed, percentage rate of unemployment, and the total number of vacancies for (a) the Workington travel-to-work area and (b) Cumbria at the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr. Alan Clark

On 8 March, the total number of unemployed claimants in the Workington travel-to-work area was 5,141 and the unemployment rate was 16.6 per cent. The corresponding figures for Cumbria were 21,611 and 11.2 per cent.

On 2 March, the numbers of notified vacancies remaining unfilled at jobcentres and careers offices in the Workington travel-to-work area were 132 and 8, respectively. The corresponding figures for Cumbria were 1,332 at jobcentres and 70 at careers offices. Vacancies notified to jobcentres are estimated to be about one-third of all vacancies in the country as a whole. Because of possible duplication the figures for jobcentres and careers 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 12-month period to December 1983, the number of people placed in jobs by jobcentres in Cumbria was 15,552. It is estimated that, nationally, the public employment service accounts for about one in four of all placings for the country as a whole.

Mr. Lambie

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage rate of unemployment in the travel-to-work areas covering the Cunninghame, South constituency, Strathclyde region, Scotland and the United Kingdom, respectively.

Mr. Alan Clark

The Cunninghame, South constituency lies within the Irvine travel-to-work area whose rate of unemployment on 8 March was 23.2 per cent. The corresponding rates for the Strathclyde region, Scotland and the United Kingdom were 17.7, 15.4 and 13.2 per cent., respectively.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if employment offices in the regions collect data by industry and occupation on vacancies that cannot be filled by local jobcentres.

Mr. Alan Clark

Details on occupation and industry are collected on all vacancies notified to jobcentres. A limited survey of hard-to-fill skilled vacancies in certain sectors has been conducted at six-monthly intervals. However, this survey does not give a full industrial and occupation breakdown.

The Manpower Services Commission is currently taking steps to imporve the flow of information about vacancies which are proving hard to fill.

Mr. Gordon Brown

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people aged (a) 16 and (b) 17 years he estimates to be currently unemployed in (i) Scotland and (ii) the United Kingdom.

Mr. Alan Clark

On 12 January, the latest date for which an age analysis is available, there were 14,677 unemployed claimants aged 16 years and 18,992 aged 17 years in Scotland. The corresponding figures for the United Kingdom were 61,433 and 142,860 respectively.