§ Mr. GoodladTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has on the relationship between the quality of life in the north-west of England, Greater London and the United Kingdom as a whole.
§ Mr. LeeAny assessment of the quality of life is inevitably subjective and depends on the importance placed by individuals on a large range of factors such as income, local amenities and nearness to the countryside. I do not have the information required to make a comparison of the overall quality of life in different regions. However the Central Statistical Office annual publication "Regional Trends" has statistics on matters that might be thought to contribute towards the quality of life.
As far as the information available to me is concerned, I can report that all regions are benefiting from the success of the Government's economic policy; over the year to September 1988, the civilian work force in employment is estimated to have grown by 38,000 in the north-west, 61,000 in London and 736,000 across Great Britain as a whole. Furthermore, unemployment rates have decreased sharply, with falls over the past year of 2 per cent. in the north-west, 1.8 per cent. in London and 1.9 per cent. in Great Britain.