HC Deb 21 November 1996 vol 285 cc651-3W
Mr. Peter Bottomley

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the(a) percentage and (b) numerical difference in unemployment rates between the United Kingdom and (i) Germany and (ii) France in each of the past 24 months. [4360]

Mrs. Angela Knight

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Peter Bottomley, dated 21 November 1996: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on unemployment in the United Kingdom, Germany and France. The information you requested is given in the attached table. This is based on the International Labour Office (ILO) measure of unemployment which provides a like for like basis for international

in 1991 to 1993 were directly due to maternity were born in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the Republic of Ireland, (c) the new Commonwealth and Pakistan, (d) other countries and (e) unstated countries, as recorded on the death registration; [4491]

(2) how many of the women whose deaths in 1991 to 1993 were indirectly due to maternity were born in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the Republic of Ireland, (c) the new Commonwealth and Pakistan, (d) other countries and (e) unstated countries, as recorded on the death registration. [4490]

Mrs. Angela Knight

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Tim Holt to Ms Audrey Wise, dated 21 November 1996: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on the number deaths in England and Wales to women whose death was directly or indirectly due to maternity for the years 1991–1993.

The figures requested for direct deaths are shown in the attached table. They cover deaths due to complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (International Classification of Diseases code 630-76) and are derived from death registrations. The numbers provided differ from those which can be obtained from the Report on the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom 1991–1993. This Enquiry uses information from several different sources. Before 1993, deaths data was only available by underlying cause of death. Indirect deaths are deaths resulting from previous existing disease, or disease that developed during pregnancy and which was not due to direct obstetric causes, but which was aggravated by the physiologic effects of pregnancy. These will not necessarily be identified from the death certificate. Therefore they cannot be included in the table. comparisons. The ILO measure of unemployment is a count of people without a job who were available to start work in the two weeks following their Labour Force Survey interview and who had either looked for work in the four weeks prior to interview or were waiting to start a job they already obtained. Annual average numbers of ILO unemployed in member countries are published by Eurostat in their monthly Unemployment Bulletin, available in the House of Commons Library.

Seasonally adjusted ILO unemployment September 1994 to September 1996
Unemployment rate per cent. Percentage point difference UK compared with
UK France Germany France Germany
September 1994 9.4 12.2 8.3 -2.8 1.1
October 9.2 12.1 8.2 -2.9 1.0
November 9.1 12.0 8.2 -2.9 0.9
December 9.0 11.9 8.1 -2.9 0.9
January 1995 8.9 11.8 8.1 -2.9 0.8
February 8.8 11.7 8.1 -2.9 0.7

Seasonally adjusted ILO unemployment September 1994 to September 1996
Unemployment rate per cent. Percentage point difference UK compared with
UK France Germany France Germany
March 8.9 11.6 8.1 -2.7 0.8
April 8.8 11.5 8.1 -2.7 0.7
May 8.8 11.5 8.1 -2.7 0.7
June 8.8 11.4 8.2 -2.6 0.6
July 8.8 11.4 8.2 -2.9 0.5
August 8.7 11.6 8.2 -2.9 0.5
September 8.7 11.6 8.3 -2.9 0.4
October 8.7 11.7 8.4 -3.0 0.3
November 8.6 11.9 8.5 -3.3 0.1
December 8.4 12.0 8.6 -3.6 -0.2
January 1996 8.3 12.0 8.7 -3.7 -0.4
February 8.4 12.1 8.9 -3.7 -0.5
March 8.4 12.1 9.0 -3.7 -0.6
April 8.4 12.1 8.9 -3.7 -0.5
May 8.3 12.2 8.9 -3.9 -0.6
June 8.3 12.3 8.9 -4.0 -0.6
July 8.2 12.3 8.9 -4.1 -0.7
August 8.2 12.4 8.9 -4.2 -0.7
September 8.1 12.5 9.0 -4.4 -0.9

Source:

Eurostat (the statistical Office of the European Community, or SOEC).