HC Deb 25 May 1988 vol 134 c188W
53. Mr. Tom Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current level of unemployment in Scotland; and what it was in 1979.

Mr. Lang

On 14 April 1988 (the latest date for which information is available) the number of unemployed claimants in Scotland was 309,084 (12.6 per cent.). The corresponding figure for April 1979 was 164,432 (6.7 per cent.). The figures are not directly comparable due to changes in the compilation of the statistics.