HC Deb 07 June 1988 vol 134 cc497-500W
18. Mr. John Browne

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of unemployment in Hampshire and the south-east.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the county of Hampshire was 40,800, a fall of 17,000, or more than 29 per cent. compared with a year ago. The comparable figure for the south-east region was 549,700, a fall of 171,700 or nearly 24 per cent. over the year.

21. Mr. Curry

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of unemployment in Yorkshire.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the counties of South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire was 205,700, a fall of 39,400 or more than 16 per cent. compared with a year ago.

31. Mr. Lester

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the proportion of population of working age in employment in the United Kingdom and in the European Community.

Mr. Lee

Taking working ages as 15 to 64 years the proportion in 1985 was 66 per cent. in the United Kingdom and 57 per cent. in the European Community as a whole.

32. Mr. Harris

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on current levels of unemployment in the south-west.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988, seasonally adjusted adult unemployment in the south-west region was 145,400, compared with 186,900 in April 1987, a fall of 22.2 per cent. over the last 12 months.

34. Mr. John M. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of unemployment in the west midlands.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988, seasonally adjusted adult unemployment in the west midlands region was 249,200, compared with 313,000 in April 1987, a fall of 20.4 per cent. over the last 12 months.

40. Mr. Andrew MacKay

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of employment.

Mr. Lee

In December 1987, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 24,735,000 people in the employed labour force in Great Britain. The employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and H.M. forces.

43. Mr. Yeo

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present level of employment in Suffolk.

Mr. Lee

Employment statistics for counties and smaller areas are available only for dates when censuses of employment are taken, and the most recent are for September 1984. There were then 221,000 employees in employment, excluding self-employed people and members of Her Majesty's forces, in the county of Suffolk.

48. Mrs. Gillian Shephard

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of unemployment in East Anglia.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988, seasonally adjusted adult unemployment in the East Anglia region was 55,400 compared with 76,000 in April 1987, a fall of 27.1 per cent. over the last 12 months.

50. Mr. Gerald Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of employment in the London borough of Southwark.

Mr. Lee

Employment statistics for local areas are available only for dates when censuses of employment are taken and the most recent are for September 1984. There were then 130,700 employees in employment, excluding self-employed people and members of Her Majesty's forces, in the London borough of Southwark.

51. Mr. Parry

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the level of unemployment in Liverpool, Riverside.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988 the number of unemployed claimants in the Liverpool, Riverside parliamentary constituency was 9,922, a fall of 1,126 over the last 12 months.

52. Mr. Forth

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of job vacancies at jobcentres for the last month for which figures are available.

Mr. Lee

On 8 April 1988, the number of unfilled vacancies at jobcentres in the United Kingdom was 253,700, seasonally adjusted and excluding community programme vacancies. This figure represents only about one third of all vacancies in the economy.

54. Mr. Brandon-Bravo

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the rate of the fall in unemployment in the last 12 months in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988 the level of seasonally adjusted adult unemployment in the United Kingdom was 2,455,000, a fall of 566,000 over the last 12 months—the largest annual fall since similar records began in 1948.

55. Mr. Hayward

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the fall in the level of unemployment since July 1986.

Mr. Lee

Unemployment (seasonally adjusted excluding school leavers) fell by 755,000 between July 1986 and April 1988. This is the largest sustained fall on record.

57. Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the rate of fall in long-term unemployment during the last 12 months in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Lee

Over the 12 months to April 1988 there was a record annual fall of 266,000 in the number of unemployed claimants who had been unemployed for one year or more in the United Kingdom.

64. Sir John Farr

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how the number of unemployed persons in the Leicester travel-to-work area has changed in the past 12 months.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the Leicester travel-to-work area was 19,075, a fall of 5,505 or 22.4 per cent. over the last 12 months.

65. Mr. Skinner

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest figure for the percentage increase in unemployment since May 1979; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lee

Between May 1979 and April 1988 the seasonally adjusted level of adult unemployment increased by 113 per cent. on a consistent basis. However, since July 1986 unemployment has fallen by 755,000. It is now, 2,455,000, the lowest figure since October 1981.

69. Mr. Carrington

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of employment in Greater London.

Mr. Lee

In December 1987, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 3,937,000 people in the civilian employed labour force in Greater London. The civilian employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment and the self-employed.

74. Mr. Jack

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on levels of unemployment in the north-west.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988, seasonally adjusted adult unemployment in the north-west region was 341,100, compared with 410,800 in April 1987, a fall of 17 per cent. over the last 12 months.

78. Mr. Miscampbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present level of unemployment in the Blackpool and Fylde travel-to-work area.

Mr. Lee

In April 1988 the number of unemployed claimants in the Blackpool travel-to-work area, which includes within its boundaries the Fylde local authority district, was 14,757.

Mr. Doran

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the respective numbers of unemployed, as at June 1979 and June 1987 in the following constituencies(a) Amber Valley, (b) Mid-Worcestershire, (c) Lancashire, West, (d) Staffordshire Moorlands, (e) Hendon, South, (f) Darlington and (g) Fylde.

Mr. Lee

The following information is in the Library. The table shows the number of unemployed claimants, for each of the parliamentary constituencies requested, at June 1987. Figures for parliamentary constituencies are available only from June 1983.

Unemployed claimants: June 1987
Parliamentary constituency
Amber Valley 3,825
Mid Worcestershire 5,086
West Lancashire 6,309
Staffordshire Moorlands 2,867
Hendon South 2,553
Darlington 5,326
Fylde 2,486