§ Mr. Jannerasked the Paymaster General whether he intends to introduce any further new method of calculation for the unemployment figures; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAs a result of the ending of compulsory "signing-on" at jobcentres, the method of calculating the unemployment figures was changed in October 1982 from a count of registrants at jobcentres to a count of claimants of unemployment benefit. Since then there have been two changes in the calculations to remove mistakes over counting, one very minor. We have made no other changes to the method of calculations and I have no present plans to make any further changes.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Paymaster General how many young people are now unemployed; and how many are engaged in officially supported employment schemes within the Rotherham travel-to-work area.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeOn 9 October 1986 the number of unemployed claimants aged under 18 in the Rotherham and Mexborough travel-to-work area was 1,891. The number of people aged under 18 in employment schemes in this area is not available. However, the new workers scheme, which helps people under 21 who are ineligible for YTS into full-time permanent jobs, currently supports over 600 people in Sheffield and Rotherham, a proportion of whom will be under 18. Also at the community industry unit at Rotherham there are 62 young people aged under 18 participating in community industry. In addition, in the Rotherham travel-to-work area on 5 December 1986 there were 2,473 young people in training on YTS. The vast majority of claimant school leavers aged under 18 on 9 October were eligible for YTS; and some will have taken up YTS places since the count was made.
§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Paymaster General (1) if he will publish a table showing the numbers and percentages of jobs lost, or gained, in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom as a whole between June 1979 and June 1986, or the latest month for which figures are available in (a) all industries, (b) all manufacturing industries, (c) all service industries, (d) shipbuilding and repairing, (e) metal goods engineering and vehicles, (f) mechanical engineering, (g) electrical electronic engineering and instrument engineering, (h) health, education and personal social services, (i) retail distribution and (j) banking, insurance and financial;
(2) if he will publish a table showing for Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom as a whole the number 538W of persons at work who are (a) employees and (b) self-employed, in June 1979, June 1983 and June 1986 or the latest month for which figures are available; and if he will estimate the number of second jobs included in these figures;
(3) if he will publish a table showing the number of additional (a) jobs in service industries, (b) jobs in banking, insurance and finance, (c) self employed and (d) small business starts over stops, created in (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) the United Kingdom between June 1983 and June 1986.