HC Deb 01 March 1988 vol 128 cc523-8W
12. Mr. Foulkes

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which travel-to-work areas had the highest level of unemployment in(a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland at the latest available date; and what was the percentage unemployed in each case.

Mr. Nicholls

The travel-to-work areas with the highest rates of unemployed claimants in England, Wales and Scotland at 14 January 1988 were Newquay, south Pembrokeshire and Cumnock and Sanquhar. The numbers of unemployed claimants in these travel-to-work areas expressed as a percentage of the number of employees in employment plus the employed were 26.7, 25.1 and 28.9 per cent. respectively.

16. Dr. Godman

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people leaving school at 16 years found jobs in 1983 and in the most recently available year.

Mr. Nicholls

Thirty per cent. of those young people aged 16 on 1 September 1984, who had left school between September 1984 and February 1986, went directly into full-time employment. A further 41 per cent. went into YTS, which has become the major route into work for school leavers and offers high-quality training. This information, drawn from England and Wales youth cohort study, is not available for earlier years.

29. Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest figures for those people registered as unemployed in the constituency of Basildon and for the same period in each of the past four years.

Mr. Lee

The table shows the number of unemployed claimants in the parliamentary constituency of Basildon in January of each year since 1984. The comparison is affected by the change in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986.

January
1984 6,834
1985 7,273
1986 6,793
1987 6,437
1988 4,726

38. Mr. Duffy

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the percentage change in unemployment for the Sheffield travel-to-work area over the past 12 months, and what has been the comparable position for Yorkshire and Humberside as a whole.

Mr. Lee

On 14 January 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the Sheffield travel-to-work area was 40,539, a fall of 14.6 per cent., since January 1987. The comparable figure for the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a whole was 266,031, a fall of 15.9 per cent.

Mr. Parry

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the recent unemployment figures.

68. Mr. Latham

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

Mr. Lee

The seasonally adjusted level of adult unemployment fell by 50,800 between December and January, to 2,563,100, the lowest figure on a consistent basis since April 1982. The figure has now fallen by 647,000 since July 1986, the largest sustained fall on record.

44. Mr. Anthony Coombs

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the levels of unemployment and advertised jobs vacancies in Wyre Forest in 1986 and 1987; and what plans he has to improve training links between education institutions and industry in the area.

Mr. Lee

The table shows the annual average number of unemployed claimants in the Wyre Forest local authority area and the annual average number of unfilled vacancies (excluding community programme vacancies) at jobcentres1 which cover an area most closely corresponding to the Wyre Forest local authority area for 1986 and 1987. Total numbers of advertised job vacancies are not available, but it is estimated that nationally about one third of vacancies are notified to jobcentres.

The Government support collaboration between education institutions and employers in developing training to meet local needs. The MSC is, for example, providing funding for such a local collaborative project in Kidderminster which is addressing the training implications of new technology in the carpet industry.

Wyre Forest local authority area
Annual Average Unemployed Claimants Unfilled Vacancies
1986 5,324 408
1987 4,469 403
1 Kidderminster and Stourport jobcentres.

43. Sir Fergus Montgomery

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in the north-west of England.

Mr. Lee

On 8 January 1988, the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in the north-west region was 20,167. This represents an increase of 2 per cent. since January 1987.

47. Mr. Patnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in Yorkshire.

Mr. Lee

On 8 January 1988 the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in south Yorkshire, north Yorkshire and west Yorkshire was 12,185. This represents an increase of 12.5 per cent. since 1987.

52. Mr. Knox

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were out of work in the Staffordshire, Moorlands parliamentary constituency at the most recent count; and what the figure was two years ago.

Mr. Lee

On 14 January 1988 the number of unemployed claimants in the Staffordshire, Moorlands parliamentary constituency was 2,798. The corresponding figure for January 1986 was 3,768. The comparison is affected by the change in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986.

58. Mrs. Widdecombe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the numbers of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in the northern region of England.

Mr. Lee

On 8 January 1988, the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies in the community programme, registered at jobcentres in the northern region was 10,180. This represents a decrease of 1.2 per cent. since January 1987.

61. Mr. Barry Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were in full-time employment in Britain in May 1979; and how many people are in full-time employment today.

Mr. Lee

In June 1979 (there are no estimates for May) there were 19,950,000 full-time people in the employed labour force in Great Britain. In September 1978, the latest date for which figures are available the figure was 18,765,000. The employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and HM forces.

66. Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of people currently in full-time and part-time employment.

Mr. Lee

In September 1987, the latest date for which figures are available there were 18,765,000 full-time and 5,741,000 part-time people in the employed labour force in Great Britain. The employed labour force is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and HM forces.

71. Mr. Dykes

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the figures for registered unemployed persons in all the Greater London travel-to-work areas for(a) the latest available date and (b) the end of December 1987, 1986 and 1985, in actual figures and as percentages.

Mr. Lee

The numbers of unemployed claimants in absolute terms and as a percentage of employees in employment plus the unemployed in the Greater London travel-to-work areas at the latest available date, 14 January 1988, and the closest date to the end of December of each of the years requested are as follows:

London TTW A Heathrow TTW A
Unemployed claimants Per cent. Unemployed claimants Per cent.
14 January 1988 302,073 8.7 37,123 5.5
8 January 1987 369,066 10.6 49,463 7.3
9 January 1986 382,156 10.9 52,676 7.7

The comparison is affected by changes in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986.

74. Mr. Sackville

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the fall in unemployment over the last 12 months.

Mr. Lee

On 14 January 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted excluding school leavers, was 2,563,100, a fall of 549,100 over the last 12 months.

77. Mr. Brandon-Bravo

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in England and Wales.

Mr. Lee

On 8 January 1988, the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in England and Wales was 206,360. This represents an increase of 20 per cent. since January 1987.

79. Mr. Roger King

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of young people aged between 18 and 24 years currently in employment and in January 1987.

Mr. Lee

Estimates of the age composition of the employed labour force are available only for June of each year. In June 1987, the estimated number of those in the employed labour force aged 18 to 24 years inclusive in Great Britain was 4,455,000 compared with 4,299,000 in June 1986.

82. Mr. Hayward

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in the southwest of England.

Mr. Lee

On 8 January, the number of unfilled vacancies, excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in the south-west region was 16,544. This represents an increase of 13.8 per cent. since January 1987.

87. Mr. Batiste

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the changes in unemployment in the Yorkshire region since 1983.

Mr. Lee

The numbers of unemployed claimants, seasonally adjusted excluding school leavers, in the Yorkshire and Humberside region in January of each year since 1983 on a consistent basis were as follows:

Number
January 1983 258,700
January 1984 267,500
January 1985 283,600
January 1986 298,200
January 1987 295,300
January 1988 248,700

88. Mr. Patrick Thompson

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres in East Anglia.

Mr. Lee

On 8 January 1988 the number of unfilled vacancies excluding vacancies on the community programme, registered at jobcentres in the East Anglia region was 7,813. This represents an increase of 32.1 per cent. since January 1987.

Mr. Lofthouse

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the percentage change in unemployment for the Castleford travel-to-work area over the last 12 months; and what has been the comparable change for Yorkshire and Humberside.

Mr. Lee

The following information is in the Library. On 14 January 1988, the number of unemployed claimants in the Castleford and Pontefract travel-to-work area was 8,071, a fall of 11.5 per cent., since January 1987. The comparable figure for the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a whole was 266,031, a fall of 15.9 per cent.

Mr. Lofthouse

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for those people registered as unemployed in the constituency of Pontefract and Castleford and for the same date in each of the last four years.

Mr. Lee

The following information is in the Library. The table shows the number of unemployed claimants in the parliamentary constituency of Pontefract arid Castleford in January of each year since 1984. The comparison is affected by the change in the compilation of the unemployment statistics in March 1986.

Number
January 1984 5,487
January 1985 5,683
January 1986 6,236
January 1987 6,222
January 1988 5,508