§ Mr. PopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of those unemployed in the Accrington and Rossendale travel-to-work area have been out of work for more than 12 months.
§ Mr. McLoughlinUnemployment figures by duration are available only on a quarterly basis. In October 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, 25.1 per cent. of unemployed people in the Accrington and Rossendale travel-to-work-area had been unemployed for over 12 months.
§ Mr. BowdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list by county the number and percentage of long-term unemployed for each year since 1984; and if she will indicate the percentage increase or decrease for each county.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe information requested can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.
§ Mr. BowdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the areas of the south-east region which are considered as long-term unemployment black spots; and what actions she proposes to take to help these areas.
§ Mr. McLoughlinIt is departmental policy to target assistance for the long term unemployed at individual people. In November, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that next year help on Government employment and training programmes for unemployed people is being increased by nearly £500,000 to almost £1.5 million. New jobplan workshops will offer guidance and assessment for 300,000 people unemployed for a year or more.
The successful job club and job interview guarantee schemes, including work trials, will both be expanded to provide an additional 180,000 places. Training for work will give training and enterprise councils greater flexibility to provide over 300,000 adults with opportunities to improve, update and learn new skills, or do work of benefit to the local community.