§ Mr. Marlowasked the Paymaster General if he will set out the regional figures for Restart interviews and corresponding reductions in claimant numbers setting out in each area the numbers that he would have anticipated leaving the benefit claimant list in line with the rates persisting prior to Restart.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe available information (cumulative to 9 October) is set out in the table.
Number interviewed Number who ceased to claim benefit following interview South East 28,647 2,855 London 46,530 2,431 South West 16,925 1,461 West Midlands 38,778 2,397 East Midlands 26,336 2,358 Yorks and Humberside 34,359 3,100 North West 74,134 5,280 Northern 34,469 3,842 Wales 22,049 2,776 Scotland 44,224 3,718 Total Great Britain 366,451 30,218 It is impossible to say how many of these people would have left the count anyway, to go into work, training, or self-employment or for other reasons. Comparisons with reductions in the count in the period before restart was operating do not provide any basis for any estimate because of changes in other factors affecting the unemployment count, such as seasonal factors and changes in the economic climate.
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Numbers invited to interview Number not attending after second letter Number invited who since ceased to claim benefit Number who received an offer Per cent. who received an offer Cumulative to 9 October South East 44,038 2,811 8,363 24,868 87 London 77,100 8,130 6,958 41,849 90 South West 24,239 1,244 3,622 15,475 91 West Midlands 52,672 1,871 5,020 34,637 89 East Midlands 39,394 1,848 6,384 22,609 86 Yorks and Humberside 49,884 1,585 7,338 30,703 89 North West 99,877 4,507 13,309 65,880 89 Northern 45,404 1,377 6,577 31,707 92 Wales 31,219 1,503 5,842 20,509 93 Scotland 58,841 2,657 8,093 39,907 90 Total Great Britain 522,668 27,533 71,506 328,144 90 Cumulative to 11 September South East 32,523 2,032 7,122 17,000 86 London 56,708 6,123 4,246 29,660 90 South West 17,519 844 2,189 10,858 92 West Midlands 36,052 905 14,522 22,807 88 East Midlands 27,519 1,353 15,390 85
§ Mr. Marlowasked the Paymaster General if he will set out the following details concerning Restart with the latest cumulative figures and also the cumulative figures for the periods ending on the dates four weeks and eight weeks previously, broken down into Manpower Services Commission administrative regions and the totals for the United Kingdom as a whole (a) numbers invited to attend an interview, (b) numbers not attending when a second letter has been sent, (c) numbers originally invited since ceasing to claim benefit, (d) the normal or mean rate of claimants in the categories called for interviews ceasing to claim benefit for similar periods prior to Restart, (e) (c) less (d), (f) the numbers who have never attended the first interview nor ceased to claim benefit and (g) the numbers to whom a Manpower Services Commission offer has been made, on a numerical and a percentage basis; and if he will make a statement on regional variations, with particular regard to (f) above.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeInformation on items(a) (b) (c) and (g) is set out in the tables.
I can give the number of people who cease to claim benefit in answer to item (c), but we have no means of knowing why they ceased to claim or how many moved into employment, self-employment or training. So far as those people are concerned, we do not know the number who would have ceased to claim anyway, to go into work, training, self-employment or for some other reason without being invited to a Restart interview.
As regards items (d) and (e), it is very difficult to compare numbers of people who cease to claim in current periods with those in earlier periods because of changes in other factors affecting unemployment, such as seasonal variations and changes in the economic climate.
As regards item (f), information would be available only at disproportionate cost on the numbers not attending a first interview who are still claiming benefit. They would include people who are interviewed after a second invitation as well as some who have interviews after being referred to the unemployment benefit service.
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Numbers invited to interview Number not attending after second letter Number invited who since ceased to claim benefit Number who received an offer Per cent. who received an offer Yorks and Humberside 35,814 1,039 4,092 20,667 89 North West 74,324 3,167 8,150 48,238 90 Northern 34,632 958 4,092 23,617 92 Wales 23,534 1,108 3,748 15,150 93 Scotland 43,841 2,029 5,381 29,155 90 Total Great Britain 382,466 19,558 43,542 232,542 89 Cumulative to 14 August South East 31,163 1,855 4,151 15,757 86 London 41,843 4,020 3,096 20,573 89 South West 11,717 525 1,203 6,408 92 Midlands1 34,567 878 2,380 18,897 87 Yorks and Humberside 22,524 566 2,248 11,964 89 North West 52,016 1,845 4,845 30,953 90 Northern 24,707 623 2,463 15,975 92 Wales 17,168 800 2,157 10,490 93 Scotland 30,775 1,440 3,123 18,939 90 Total Great Britain 266,480 12,552 25,666 149,956 89 1 At this stage the Manpower Services Commission's midlands region had not been subdivided.