§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Paymaster General if he will publish a table showing (a) the number and percentage of jobs lost by regional area between June 1979 and June 1985 in (i) all manufacturing industries, (ii) service industries, (iii) all industries, (iv) shipbuilding and (v) engineering industries and (b) the numbers of long-term unemployed by regional area in June 1979 and June 1985.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkInformation about job gains and job losses is not available from the Department's statistics, but an indication of the net changes can be seen by comparing levels of employment at different dates.
Tables 1 and 2 give, for the areas, dates and categories specified, the net numerical and percentage changes in the numbers of employees in employment.
Separate estimates of employees in employment in the shipbuilding and engineering industries are not available for regions, and the figures are combined with other activities within the metal goods, engineering and vehicles division of the 1980 standard industrial classification. July 1979 and July 1985 are not comparable because of the change in the basis of the count in October 1982, the 1983 Budget provisions which mean that some men, mainly 639W aged 60 or over, no longer need to sign on at unemployment benefit offices to receive benefit, and the change to the new ward-based system.
Table 3: Persons unemployed for over 12 months Region Registrants— July 1979 Claimants—July 1985 South East 59,850 279,206 East Anglia 7,210 27,366 South West 23,349 68,318 West Midlands 33,753 162,576 East Midlands 19,934 79,114 Yorkshire and Humberside 30,475 126,246 North West 61,612 201,431 North 32,521 106,502 Wales 23,043 75,882 Scotland 48,796 142,645