HC Deb 20 November 1984 vol 68 cc130-1W
15. Mr. Barron

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been unemployed for two years or more to the latest available date.

Mr. Peter Morrison

On 11 October, the number of claimants in the United Kingdom who had been unemployed for two years or more was 725,989.

23. Mr. James Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people aged 50 years or over have been unemployed for more than 12 months.

Mr. Alan Clark

The information requested is available in the House of Commons Library.

24. Mr. Waller

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest figure for the number of persons in employment and the equivalent figure for the same period 12 months previously.

Mr. Alan Clark

The latest estimates are for June 1984 and these, together with figures for earlier dates, were published in table 1.1 of the labour market data section of the October 1984 issue of Employment Gazette. A copy of the Employment Gazette is in the Library.

25. Mr. Chapman

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the total number of women who are employed full-time and part-time outside their own home; and how this figures compares with 10 years before.

Mr. Alan Clark

The latest estimates are for Great Britain for June 1984 when the numbers of females in full-time and part-time employment were 4,981,000 and 4,177,000, respectively. The corresponding numbers in June 1974 were 5,512,000 full-time and 3,421,000 part-time.

26. Mr. Clwyd

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been registered unemployed for 12 months or more.

34. Mr. Prescott

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current rate of unemployment; and what are the numbers involved.

Mr. Alan Clark

The information is available in the House of Commons Library.

27. Mr. Maxton

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present number of people who have been registered unemployed for two years or more; and what actions the Government are taking to reduce this figure.

Mr. Alan Clark

The information requested is in the House of Commons Library. The principal action we are taking to help the long-term unemployed is to maintain our economic policies, which are the best guarantee of sustainable growth in output and jobs in the long term. In the meantime, help is available through the community programme which is funded to provide 130,000 temporary job opportunities.

36. Mr. John Fraser

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about present levels of unemployment in Lambeth.

Mr. Alan Clark

The Government are concerned about the level of unemployment in Lambeth, and a

Percentages of total employees and total unemployed in travel-to-work areas by range of unemployment rates—United Kingdom
Old travel-to-work areas New travel-to-work areas
Range of unemployment rates Employees Unemployed August 1984 Employees Unemployed October 1984
Over 24 per cent. 0.5 1.3 1.1 2.6
Over 20 per cent. 4.3 8.2 7.5 13.4
Over 17 per cent. 11.1 18.7 20.9 32.0
Over 15 per cent. 28.0 41.0 32.3 45.9

Note: The two sets of figures for the old and new travel-to-work areas are not fully comparable because the level of unemployment was higher in October than in August. Also the denominators used to calculate unemployment rates relate to 1978 for the old travel-to-work areas, but 1983 for the new ones.