§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children were in families where the head of household was unemployed in 1979 and, on the latest date available, broken down into those who had been unemployed for less than one year, one year or more, two years or more and three years or more.
§ Mr. MajorI regret that figures for 1979 are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The latest available information is based on the 1984 family expenditure survey. It is not always possible to establish from this survey whether a person is required to be and is actually available for work, nor is it always possible to determine the duration of the unemployment. The information, subject to these provisos, is given in the table.
Number of children in families where head of household is unemployed Thousands Total 1,400 Less than one year 600 One year or more 750 Two years or more 500 Three years or more 350 Note:
Figures are rounded to the nearest 50,000 and totals do not therefore always agree.