§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his Department's estimate of the percentage of people in rural Wales who have problems finding permanent employment, and what statistics his Department published on these data. [26499]
§ Mr. RedwoodMost of those who become unemployed leave the register within six months. Latest available figures for those remaining on the register in rural Wales for more than a year are shown in the following table:
Long term unemployment in rural Wales1 Travel to work Persons Rate Aberystwyth 177 1.2 Brecon 214 1.9 Cardigan 249 2.1 Dolgellau and Barmouth 173 2.7 Lampeter and Aberaeron 198 2.1 Llandrindod Wells 218 1.6 Machynlleth 114 1.9 Newtown 89 0.7 Portmadoc and Ffestiniog 253 2.9 Welshpool 129 1.1 Wales 37,414 2.9 1Rural Wales is defined as those travel to work areas with at least 5 per cent. of their population within the Development Board for Rural Wales boundary. In each of the travel-to-work areas long-term unemployment rates are at or below the Welsh average.
The labour force survey also provides estimates at an all-Wales level of the number of temporary workers. In the period September to November 1994 4.9 per cent. of the work force described themselves as having temporary jobs, of whom about half were seeking permanent employment. No estimates are available at a more local level.