HC Deb 12 May 1993 vol 224 cc477-8W
Mr. Steinberg

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information her Department has on how many women in the Durham area have initiated legal challenges against their employers since 1990 on the grounds on sexual offences, and on the results of such cases.

Mr. McLoughlin

The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Steinberg

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information is held on how many people living in the Durham area have been denied unemployment benefit since 1990 because they are not available for work because they have an adult or child to care for during working hours.

Mr. McLoughlin

Responsibility for the subject. of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Gerry Steinberg, dated 12 May 1993:

As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question requesting information on how many people living in the Durham area have been denied unemployment benefit since 1990 because they are not available for work because they have an adult or child to care for during working hours. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.Unfortunately, the information is not available in the form you have requested and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Statistics on the number of people whose claims for unemployment benefit have been disallowed because they are not available for work do not identify, separately, the number of people disallowed because they have caring responsibilities.Adjudication statistics are compiled quarterly, for each Employment Service Region, and published in the "Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions". Information about claims disallowed because people are not available for work for any reason are recorded under the heading of "Availability". The figures for Durham are contained in the statistical return for Northern Region. Copies of this document can be obtained from the House of Commons Library.As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
Mr. Steinberg

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current number of job vacancies in the Durham area.

Mr. McLoughlin

In March 1993, the latest date for which figures are available, the number, not seasonally adjusted, of unfilled vacancies at the jobcentre which covers the city of Durham was 229. Jobcentre vacancies do not represent the total number of vacancies available.