HC Deb 23 July 1986 vol 102 c226W
Mr. Dubs

asked the Paymaster General what were the numbers of persons unemployed by age groups in the Wandsworth area for each year since 1979.

Mr. Lang

The following information is in the Library. The table shows the numbers of unemployed claimants by age groups in the London borough of Wandsworth for April of each year from 1984 to 1986. The comparison is affected by the change in the compilation of unemployment statistics in March 1986. Statistics of unemployment for London boroughs are derived from the new ward-based system and are available only from June 1983.

Unemployment by age analysis Wandsworth local authority area
Years April 1984 April 1985 April 1986
Under 17 212 173 163
17 553 501 454
18 797 747 587
19 889 851 741
20–24 3,566 3,901 3,722
25–29 2,299 2,600 2,579
30–34 1,552 1,696 1,671
35–39 1,270 1,375 1,479
40–44 1,013 1,098 1,179
45–49 1,020 1,132 1,213
50–54 993 1,035 1,121
55–59 1,057 1,123 1,234
60 and over 401 431 449
Total 15,622 16,663 16,592

Mr. Barron

asked the Paymaster General if he will give, for each parliamentary constituency and local authority district, the level and rate of unemployment in June 1979 and in each December and June subsequently on a consistent basis.

Mr. Lang

The information requested is not available, since statistics of unemployment for parliamentary constituencies and local authority districts are derived from the new ward-based system and are available only from June 1983 and unemployment rates are not calculated for areas smaller than travel-to-work areas.

The actual numbers of unemployed claimants in parliamentary constituencies and local authority districts in Great Britain for each month from 1983 are available in the Library, although comparisons over the period will be affected by the Budget provisions (which meant that certain older men, mainly aged 60 years or over, no longer need to sign on at unemployment benefit offices in order to obtain national insurance credits of the long-term rate of supplementary benefit) and also by the change in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986.