§ 68. Mr. Willie W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of long-term unemployed in Scotland; how this compares with the figures for each of the last four years; and when he expects an improvement in the situation.
§ Mr. Allan StewartAt 13 October 1983, the latest date for which information is available, 124,319 claimants in Scotland had been unemployed for more than 52 weeks. The comparable claimant figure for October 1982 was 109,111. In October 1982, however, the basis of counting the unemployed changed from a registrant to a claimant-based count and the figures before and after that date are not comparable. The numbers of people registered as unemployed in each October from 1979 to 1982 were 45,410, 53,766, 93,769 and 127,837, respectively.
The improvement now evident in the economic situation will enhance employment prospects throughout the United Kingdom, including Scotland.