§ 18. Mr. George Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the latest unemployment rate in north Lanarkshire; and by how much it has increased since May 1979.
§ Mr. Allan StewartOn 13 September 1984, the latest date for which information is available, unemployment in the North Lanarkshire travel-to-work area stood at 20.9 per cent. On 10 May 1979 the unemployment rate for the same area was 10 per cent. These rates are not directly comparable due to the change in October 1982 to a claimant based count.
§ Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the increase in the number of unemployed people in Scotland since May 1979.
§ Mr. Allan StewartDirect comparisons are not possible because of the change in October 1982 from a registrant-based to a claimant-based count. However, the number of unemployed claimants in Scotland on 13 September 1984 showed an increase of 194,581 on the estimated corresponding figure for May 1979.