§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number employed in the United Kingdom by(a) local government and (b) the railways industry in 1978, 1983 and the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will indicate any significant changes of definition affecting the comparison of these statistics.
§ Mr. LeeThe total numbers employed in Great Britain by local government were as follows:
Numbers June 1978 2,910,000 June 1983 2,853,000 June 1988 2,967,000 December 1988 12,964,000 1 Latest available. (Data for Northern Ireland is not comparable and therefore not included.) Source: Department of the Environment.
The abolition of the metropolitan counties and Greater London council and the change in status of local authority bus and municipal airport staff during 1986 and 1987 will have had a significant downward influence on the figures.
The number employed in the railways industries in the United Kingdom were as follows:
Numbers June 1978 185,000 June 1983 161,000 June 1988 133,000 March 1989 1131,000 1 Latest available.