HC Deb 13 November 1996 vol 285 cc274-5W
35. Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make a statement on trends in unemployment levels over the last year. [2105]

Mr. Forth

The United Kingdom started 1996 with unemployment lower than any other major European country and with unemployment falling at an underlying rate averaging around 10,000 per month. During the course of the year the labour market has continued to improve and the Office for National Statistics estimates that the underlying rate at which unemployment is falling now averages around 15,000 to 20,000 per month.