§ 19. Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many YTS places in(a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom had not been filled at the most recent available place.
§ Mr. CopeAt the end of May 1989 there were 13,800 unfilled YTS places in Scotland and 141,200 unfilled YTS places in Great Britain.
§ 20. Mr. RedwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment which European country had the fastest fall in unemployment over the past two years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeOver the past two years the unemployment rate has fallen faster in the United Kingdom than in any other major European country, and is now lower than the European community average.
§ 24. Mr. BurtTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been created in the last five years in the United Kingdom, and in the other member states of the European Community; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeEmployment estimates are not yet available for many EC countries after 1987. Over the five-year period from 1982 to 1987 the increase in employment in the United Kingdom was greater than in the rest of the European Community combined. The table shows the data for each EC country for 1982 to 1987.
Civilian employment (thousands) 1982 1987 Change Percentage change United Kingdom 23,584 25,060 1,476 6.3 Belgium 3,578 3,621 43 1.2 Denmark 2,476 2,663 187 7.6 Germany 25,177 25,440 263 1.0 Greece 3,501 3,597 96 2.7 Spain 11,043 11,383 340 3.1 France 21,240 20,976 -264 -1.2 Ireland 1,131 1,067 -64 -5.7 Italy 20,297 20,584 287 1.4 Luxembourg 158 169 11 7.0 Netherlands 5,009 5,251 242 4.8 Portugal 3,959 4,169 210 5.3 EC12-United Kingdom 97,569 98,920 1,351 1.4 Sources: United Kingdom (ED) Rest of EC (Eurostat).
The Government have placed great stress on creating the right economic conditions in which enterprise can flourish and jobs can be created. Since 1980 the United Kingdom has had the fastest growing economy in western Europe and we are now in our eighth successive year of sustained growth. As a result of this, employment has increased greatly.
§ 26. Mr. LivingstoneTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the level of unemployment in the London borough of Brent.
§ Mr. LeeIn June 1989 the number of unemployed claimants in the London borough of Brent was 8,815, a fall of 4,674 or 36.7 per cent. over the last 12 months. The comparison is slightly affected by the change of coverage in the count from September 1988 due to the changes in benefit regulations affecting young people under 18 years of age.
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§ 34. Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in the number of self-employed people in work since 1979; and if he will make a statement.
§ 119. Sir Bernard BraineTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were self-employed in the United Kingdom in June 1979 and June 1989; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeBetween June 1979 and March 1989, the latest date for which estimates are available, there was an increase of 1,173,000, or 62 per cent., in the number of
Changes March 1979 to March 1989 in the number of employees in employment by region Males Females all Females full time Females part time Region Change (thousands) Percentage change Change (thousands) Percentage change Change (thousands) Percentage change Change (thousands) Percentage change South East -77 -1.8 515 16.4 317 16.7 198 15.9 East Anglia 96 23.3 93 33.9 44 28.1 49 41.6 South West -34 -3.7 105 16.2 62 16.9 43 15.3 West Midlands -135 -10.1 74 8.2 28 5.3 46 12.5 East Midlands -27 -2.9 90 14.2 38 10.3 52 19.7 Yorkshire and Humberside -181 -15.2 42 5.3 -5 -1.1 47 13.3 North West -338 -21 9 -21 -1.9 -62 -9.3 41 8.8 North -118 -16.1 21 4.2 -20 -6.9 41 20.5 Wales -129 -21.0 -3 -.7 -35 -14.0 32 20.6 Scotland -176 -14.7 40 4.6 -31 -5.6 71 22.5 Northern Ireland -41 -13.7 9 4.1 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a = not available
§ 38. Mr. HaywardTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the United Kingdom's current youth unemployment rate; what is the figure of other European countries; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CopeThe table shows unemployment rates prepared on a harmonised basis and seasonally adjusted, for those aged under 25 years, for April 1989 in the United Kingdom and other European countries as published by the statistical office of the European Communities. The youth unemployment rate in the United Kingdom is about half the European Communities average.
Harmonised unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) for under 25 year olds, April 1989 European country Total percentage rate Spain 36.6 Italy 32.0 Greece1 24.4 Ireland 22.3 France 21.5 Belgium 17.7 Netherlands 16.3 Portugal2 12.0 Denmark 9.8 Germany 5.2 Luxembourg 3.8 United Kingdom 9.2 EC average 18.0 1 April 1987. 1 March 1989.
§ 41. Mr. IrvineTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of people of working age in employment in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) other European countries.
§ Mr. LeeThe United Kingdom has a higher proportion of people of working age in employment than any other
152Wself-employed people in the United Kingdom. It is estimated that over 3 million people are now self-employed. Self-employed people now represent 12 per cent. of the work force in employment.
§ 35. Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase or decrease in each standard planning region of(a) male employees, (b) female full-time employees and (c) female part-time employees since June 1979.
§ Mr. LeeThe available information is as follows:
European Community country except Denmark. The latest available European Community figures are for 1987 when the United Kingdom had 68 per cent. of persons aged 15 to 64 in employment. Most other European Community countries had less than 60 per cent. of such persons employed. Denmark had 77 per cent. employed (Scandinavian countries outside the European Community had similar figures) and Germany and France had 61 per cent. and 59 per cent. respectively.
§ Mr. ConwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment in how many parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom unemployment has fallen by over 50 per cent. since January 1986; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeBetween January 1986 and June 1989 unemployment fell by 50 per cent. or more in 359 parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain. The comparison is affected by the change in compilation of the count in March 1986 to reduce over recording and changes in benefit regulations in September 1988 affecting young people under 18.
§ 54. Mr. OrmeTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many and what percentage of claimants in Salford, East were classified as long-term unemployed in April; and what plans he has to reduce this number.
§ Mr. LeeIn April 1989 the number of unemployed claimants, in Salford, East who had been unemployed for over 12 months was 2,664 or 49 per cent. of the total unemployed. Employment training is specifically designed to give the longer-term unemployed the opportunity to acquire the skills they need to return to work.
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§ 62. Mr. Brandon-BravoTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the change in the number of long-term unemployed people aged 24 to 45 years in the last two years.
§ Mr. LeeUnemployment figures are not available for the requested age group. However, the number of unemployed claimants aged 25 to 44 years in the United Kingdom who had been unemployed for over 12 months fell by 134,515 or 45.6 per cent. in the two years to April 1989.
§ 70. Dr. WoodcockTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what major Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country has the sharpest fall in the rate of unemployment over the past two years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CopeOver the past two years the unemployment rate has fallen faster in the United Kingdom than in any other major OECD country. The unemployment rate in the United Kingdom is now lower than the European Community average.
§ 77. Sir Fergus MontgomeryTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the fall in the numbers of long-term unemployed in the north-west.
§ Mr. LeeThe number of unemployed claimants in the north-west who had been unemployed for over 12 months fell by 37,633 or 25.1 per cent. in the year to April 1989.
§ 79. Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest unemployment figure for the Rugby/Daventry travel-to-work area.
§ Mr. LeeIn June 1989 the number of unemployed claimants in the Rugby and Daventry travel-to-work area was 1,929.
§ 81. Mr. LoydenTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he has taken to reduce unemployment in the last year.
§ Mr. LeeNearly 3 million new jobs have been created over the last six years and there are now more people in work in this country than ever before in our history. The Government will continue to provide the right economic conditions to create new jobs and reduce unemployment further. In addition, an extensive range of employment and training measures are already in place to help unemployed people back into work.
§ 85. Mr. SumbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment by what amount unemployment in the parliamentary constituency of Bury, South has changed over the last six months for which figures are available.
Mr. Lee: In June 1989 the number of unemployed claimants in the Bury, South constituency was 2,352, a fall of 434 over the past six months.
§ 94. Mr. EvennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current level of unemployment in Bexley; and what was the level three years ago.
§ Mr. LeeIn June 1989 there were 3,825 unemployed claimants in Bexley local authority area compared with 8,603 in June 1986, a fall of 4,778 or 55.5 per cent. over the154W last three years. The comparison is slightly affected by the change of coverage in the count from September 1988 due to the benefit regulations affecting those young people under 18.
§ 104. Mr. AmessTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the latest total for the number of people registered as unemployed in the Basildon constituency and for the corresponding period in each of the last four years.
§ Mr. LeeThe table shows the number of unemployed claimants in Basildon parliamentary constituency for each June from 1985 to 1989. The figures are affected by the change in the compilation of the count in March 1986 to reduce over-recording and by the change of coverage from September 1988 resulting from changes in benefit regulations affecting people aged under 18 years. Direct comparisons cannot therefore be made.
Unemployment in Basildon parliamentary constituency June Number of unemployed claimants 1985 6,767 1986 6,448 1987 5,345 1988 3,701 1989 2,670
§ 107. Mr. FavellTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are now unemployed in the north-west.
§ 110. Mr. DoverTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of unemployment in the United Kingdom and in the EEC.
§ Mr. LeeOver the past two years the rate of unemployment has fallen faster in the United Kingdom than in any other major industrialised country, and is now lower than that of the majority of our European partners. The unemployment rate in the United Kingdom is also lower than the European Community average.
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International comparisons of Unemployment Standardised unemployment rates1—Seasonally adjusted Percentage rate Latest month Spain 17.7 February Ireland 1(17.0) May Italy 1 (10.7) May France 10.1 April Belgium 9.5 April Netherlands 9.4 January Greece 1 (7.4) April 1987 Denmark 1 (7.1) May United Kingdom 6.6 April Germany 5.5 March Portugal 5.5 November Austria 2 (4.8) February Norway 4.8 February Finland 3.8 April Luxembourg 1 (1.8) April Sweden 1.6 April EC average 1 (9.3) May 1 For those EC countries for which no OECD standardised rates are available, similar harmonised rates compiled by the Statistical Office of European Communities (EUROSTAT) are shown in brackets. These showed the United Kingdom rate at 6.8 per cent. in May compared with the EC average of 9.3 per cent.
2National definitions. Standardised rates not available for Austria.
§ 117. Mr. Roger KingTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the United Kingdom population is in employment; and what is the European average.
§ Mr. LeeIn 1987 nearly 45 per cent. of the total population of the United Kingdom were in employment, compared with an average of around 39 per cent. for Europe as a whole (excluding eastern Europe).