HC Deb 02 December 1985 vol 88 cc77-80W
Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Paymaster General if he will estimate the percentage of those registered as unemployed who were single, widowed or separated women or women with dependent children under the age of 16 years in each year since 1979.

Mr. Alan Clark

The labour force survey showed that about 19 per cent. of those in the unemployment count in Great Britain in the spring of 1984 were single, widowed, divorced or separated women, including some 3.5 per cent. who had dependent children aged under 16. Corresponding estimates for 1983 are 18 per cent. and 2.5 per cent., respectively. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available.

Mr. Foulkes

asked the Paymaster General if he will list all changes which have occurred in the method of compiling employment, unemployment and vacancy statistics since 1979; and if he will estimate the quantitative change in those statistics which has occurred as a result.

Mr. Alan Clark

I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Mr. Dormand

asked the Paymaster General what is the number and percentage of unemployed persons in the northern region in each of the years from 1979 to the latest available date in 1985, respectively.

Employees in employment
Banking, insurance and finance Public administration and defence Wholesale distribution, hotels and catering Education, health and other services Construction
South East
June 1979 808,000 728,000 692,000 1,442,000 364,000
December 1982 868,000 658,000 706,000 1,470,000 322,000
June 1985 950,000 670,000 772,000 1,540,000 305,000
Greater London (included in South East)
June 1979 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
December 1982 578,000 368,000 371,000 662,000 151,000
June 1985 627,000 373,000 381,000 672,000 142,000
East Anglia

Mr. Alan Clark

The following information is in the Library. The figures are adjusted for discontinuities and are consistent for all the years shown. They are the numbers of unemployed claimants, seasonally adjusted excluding school leavers, in the northern region at October of each year from 1979 to 1985.

Number Percentage rate
October 1979 99,900 7.3
October 1980 135,900 10.1
October 1981 182,500 14.0
October 1982 199,100 15.4
October 1983 210,800 16.7
October 1984 224,300 17.8
October 1985 227,500 18.1

Mr. Gordon Brown

asked the Paymaster General if he will estimate for each regional area, Scotland and Wales and in total, the number of jobs in (a) banking, insurance and finance, (b) public administration and defence,(c) wholesale distribution, hotels and catering, (d) education, health and social services and (e) construction in June 1979, December 1982 and June 1985, respectively.

Mr. Alan Clark

The figures for the regions, categories and dates specified are in the following table. Separate regional statistics are not available for social services employees which are included in the education, health and other services grouping.

Banking, insurance and finance Public administration and defence Wholesale distribution, hotels and catering Education, health and other services Construction
June 1979 42,000 55,000 64,000 126,000 41,000
December 1982 45,000 50,000 66,000 129,000 35,000
June 1985 52,000 50,000 83,000 140,000 33,000
South West
June 1979 108,000 127,000 189,000 317,000 86,000
December 1982 114,000 120,000 165,000 320,000 78,000
June 1985 126,000 118,000 206,000 342,000 76,000
West Midlands
June 1979 115,000 169,000 183,000 326,000 102,000
December 1982 126,000 155,000 179,000 313,000 84,000
June 1985 142,000 159,000 202,000 305,000 73,000
East Midlands
June 1979 71,000 132,000 122,000 218,000 71,000
December 1982 78,000 111,000 119,000 227,000 61,000
June 1985 90,000 103,000 127,000 241,000 59,000
Yorkshire and Humberside
June 1979 98,000 131,000 175,000 347,000 108,000
December 1982 108,000 127,000 172,000 346,000 87,000
June 1985 120,000 128,000 193,000 337,000 78,000
North West
June 1979 158,000 220,000 226,000 466,000 135,000
December 1982 171,000 216,000 230,000 456,000 110,000
June 1985 192,000 223,000 244,000 477,000 97,000
North
June 1979 57,000 99,000 104,000 215,000 84,000
December 1982 60,000 86,000 94,000 215,000 46,000
June 1985 64,000 83,000 98,000 222,000 46,000
Wales
June 1979 44,000 114,000 87,000 187,000 61,000
December 1982 48,000 109,000 77,000 188,000 48,000
June 1985 53,000 107,000 84,000 198,000 44,000
Scotland
June 1979 123,000 177,000 197,000 396,000 157,000
December 1982 131,000 171,000 181,000 413,000 128,000
June 1985 144,000 172,000 207,000 425,000 114,000
Great Britain
June 1979 1,624,000 1,952,000 2,039,000 4,041,000 1,211,000
December 1982 1,749,000 1,802,000 1,990,000 4,077,000 1,012,000
June 1985 1,934,000 1,814,000 2,217,000 4,227,000 926,000

Mr. Winnick

asked the Paymaster General if, pursuant to the answer of 28 November, Official Report, column 399, on unemployment statistics, he will now publish (a) figures of the numbers of those unemployed for over 12 months in April 1979 in the area which corresponds as closely as practicable to the present Dudley and Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall travel-to-work areas and (b) the percentage increases between April 1979 and October 1985 in the numbers of those unemployed for over 12 months in the United Kingdom and west midlands, respectively.

Mr. Alan Clark

In April 1979, there were 8,164 people, who had been unemployed over 12 months, registered at jobcentres within the Dudley and Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton travel-to-work areas as defined in 1978. The following table gives the available information for the United Kingdom and west midlands.

Unemployed—Over 12 months
United Kingdom West Midlands
Unemployed Registrants
April 1979 366,711 34,154
October 1982 1,169,558 155,741
Percentage increase +219 per cent. +356 per cent.
Unemployed Claimants
October 1982 989,306 129,706
April 1983 1,143,436 154,460
Percentage increase +15.6 per cent. +19.1 per cent.
April 1983 1,143,439 154,460
October 1983 1,142,874 152,423

Comparisons over this period are affected by the provisions in the 1983 Budget, which removed 160,000 people, overall from the count, some 18,700 in the west midlands.

October 1983 1,142,874 152,423
October 1985 1,351,857 164,848
Percentage increase +18.3 per cent. +8.2 per cent.