§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the percentage of(a) men and (b) women that are currently unemployed for each year between the ages of 50 and 60 years.
§ Mr. OppenheimThe information is provided in the following tables:
ILO unemployment rates: by age and sex Great Britain summer 1994 percentages Age All persons Males Females 50 6.1 8.4 1— 51 6.8 8.5 1— 52 8.1 10.5 5.2 53 7.4 9.3 5.3 54 7.7 9.7 5.3 55 7.7 9.9 4.9 56 10.0 12.4 6.7 57 7.7 10.6 1— 58 9.2 10.7 7.1 59 10.7 14.1 1— 60 6.9 9.7 1— 1 Estimates based on figures below 10,000—after grossing up—are not used, as they are subject to unacceptably large sampling errors.
Claimant unemployment rates (UK): by age and sex October 1994 percentage Age All persons Male Female 50–59 8.4 11.3 4.7 Source:
Labour force survey.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the obstacles which reduce the likelihood of young people aged 16 and 17 years who are currently classified as(a) International Labour Organisation unemployed or (b) 1100W economically inactive and not currently in full-time education taking up one of the opportunities available to them under Government programmes (i) in general and (ii) in respect of each category of opportunity and each category for young people in the United Kingdom and in each part of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. PaiceThe Government guarantee that all 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, training or employment and who are seeking training are offered suitable training places. It is necessary for young people to register with the careers service and I am not aware of any obstacles which prevent them from doing so. Furthermore, the Government have committed additional resources in 1995–96 to strengthen careers guidance from age 13. We are also looking on a cross-Governmental basis at the position of 16 and 17-year-olds who are not in education, training or employment.