§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the percentage increase in
700W unemployment in May 1984, compared with (a) May 1979, (b) May 1982 and (c) May 1983 in the following areas: (i) the Dunfermline employment office area, (ii) the Cowdenbeath employment office area, (iii) the Kirkcaldy employment office area, (iv) all areas in Scotland covered by special development area status, (v) all areas in Scotland covered by development area status, (vi) all areas in Scotland covered by intermediate area status, (vii) Scotland as a whole and (viii) Great Britain as a whole.
Unemployment in Scotland—Percentage changes (a) May 1984 May 1983 (b) May 1984 October 1982 (c) October 1982 May 1982 (d) October 1982 May 1979 Dunfermline Jobcentre area +4.9 +2.4 +3.8 +110.5 Cowdenbeath Jobcentre area +17.6 +7.8 +6.2 +97.2 Kirkcaldy Jobcentre area +9.9 +3.5 +3.8 +84.7 Special Development Area—See Note 1 (By travel-to-work area except*) Ayr +6.4 +2.3 +6.3 +88.6 Cumnock +10.6 +3.1 +10.7 +105.1 Dumbarton +3.8 +8.1 +9.2 +93.8 Greenock +9.5 +5.5 +8.6 +75.8 Irvine -4.1 -5.7 +5.5 +104.8 Glasgow +0.6 +1.7 +7.4 +108.5
§ Mr. Allan Stewart[pursuant to his reply, 15 June 1984, c. 596]: Because of the introduction in October 1982 of a claimant-based count to replace the previous registrant-based count of unemployed persons, valid comparisons for unemployment levels before and after that date are not possible below the all-Scotland level. For Scotland and Great Britain, estimates of the effect of the change of method have been incorporated in the comparisons given in the table.
Unemployment—Scotland and Great Britain May 1984 May 1983 percentage change May 1984 May 1982 percentage change May 1984 May 1979 percentage change Scotland +1.6 +9.4 +114.8 Great Britain +1.0 +10.0 +155.3 For areas below the all-Scotland level the percentage changes are most sensibly expressed in the following form.
701W
(a) May 1984 May 1983 (b) May 1984 October 1982 (c) October 1982 May 1982 (d) October 1982 May 1979 Lanark +4.1 +1.0 +18.5 +112.4 North Lanarkshire +4.1 +2.7 +9.9 +108.7 Paisley -1.1 -3.5 +6.7 +157.0 Sanquhar +9.1 -7.4 +12.3 +60.8 Kilmarnock -1.2 -11.7 +5.5 +140.0 Arbroath 0 +11.0 +15.4 +121.0 Dundee -1.1 +5.2 +4.2 +93.7 Glenrothes Jobcentre area* -1.8 +32.3 +2.5 +127.6 Livingston Jobcentre area* -1.4 +2.5 +12.6 +157.4 Development areas (By travel-to-work area except† Bathgate (excluding Livingston)† -3.3 -4.8 +13.9 +177.9 Blairgowrie -0.3 +6.3 +5.5 +116.7 Campbeltown +2.0 +7.3 +4.4 +70.7 Dunoon +4.4 -4.2 +5.5 +131.5 Dunfermline +10.3 +4.8 +4.8 +104.7 Falkirk -0.8 -3.8 +17.7 +180.8 Fort William -1.8 -9.2 +7.1 +150.7 Girvan +1.5 +2.6 +12.2 +108.4 Inverness +13.0 +23.9 +9.3 +61.6 Portree +29.6 +35.5 +7.0 +16.3 Kirkcaldy (excluding Glenrothes)† +5.7 -3.0 +4.7 +97.2 Lochgilphead +8.0 +3.2 +22.7 +66.0 Newton Stewart +5.8 -3.7 +4.2 +61.5 Oban +28.2 +4.1 +21.9 +103.3 Dingwall +14.3 +0.3 -1.4 +100.0 Rothesay -10.8 -19.6 +7.8 +65.7 Stornoway +2.4 -14.6 +24.0 +113.6 Stranraer -7.7 -16.8 +16.6 +93.2 Thurso +2.7 -5.1 +16.9 +49.8 Wick +2.5 -4.3 +12.8 +64.5 Intermediate areas (By travel-to-work area) Anstruther +11.6 0 +8.6 +99.3 Castle Douglas 0 -7.4 +14.8 +78.9 Forres +11.2 +4.0 +2.0 +94.0 Kirkwall -7.6 -6.6 +12.6 +120.9 Lerwick -16.8 +23.7 -2.6 +189.3 Nairn +15.8 +20.5 +4.2 +143.3 Stirling +6.0 +9.4 +12.8 +157.1 Notes:
* Special development area status applies only to the new towns of Glenrothes and Livingston. These form part of the larger areas of Glenrothes and Livingston jobcentre areas, the remainder of which have development area status. Separate information is. not available for the new towns and figures relate to the whole of the jobcentre areas.
† Column (a) gives the percentage changes between the May 1984 and May 1983 claimant counts;
Column (b) gives the percentage changes between the May 1984 and October 1982 claimant counts;
Column (c) gives the percentage changes between the October 1982 and May 1982 registrant counts; and
Column (d) gives the percentage changes between the October 1982 and May 1979 registrant counts.