HC Deb 24 March 1995 vol 257 cc381-2W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the advantages and disadvantages of using narrow based rates in the regional unemployment statistics. [14919]

Mr. Oppenheim

The wide-based rate is a sensible way to expressing the claimant unemployment rate since its denominator has a more complete coverage of the workforce and it is the only rate which is quoted in the labour market statistics national press notice. Narrow-based rates are published in theEmployment Gazette and on NOMIS, the Department's on-line

£3 and £3.50 an hour and (vi) between £3.50 and £4 an hour. [14227]

Mr. Oppenheim

[holding answer 16 March 1995]: Estimates derived from the results of the 1994 new earnings survey are given in the following table:

database. There are no plans to change these arrangements.