§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current rate of unemployment in the Wentworth constituency; what level of economic inactivity in the constituency was revealed by the 1992 census; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. McLoughlin[holding answer 27 April 1993]: Official unemployment rates are not available for parliamentary constituencies. The smallest geographical 457W areas for which unemployment rate are officially compiled are travel-to-work areas. The numbers of claimant unemployed in the Wentworth constituency in March 1993 stood at 4,824.
Figures from the 1991 census show that the number of economically inactive people aged 16-plus in the Wentworth constituency on 21 April 1991 was 28,213.
Unemployment figures from the census of population cannot be compared with those published by the Employment Department. The former are based on a much looser definition and, in particular, do not include an "actively seeking work" criterion in the definition. The Department's figures are available in the Library.