§ Mr. WilshireTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total number of hairdressers in the United Kingdom; and what proportion of the working population they represented in(a) 1979 and (b) 1997. [30406]
§ Mrs. Liddell[holding answer 19 February 1998]: 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.
63WLetter from Tim Holt to Mr. David Wilshire, dated 23 February 1998:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question on hairdressers in the labour market.Information from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) shows that there were 185,000 employees and self-employed in hairdressing and other beauty treatment in the United Kingdom at Spring 1982, and 174,000 at Summer 1997. Both of these totals represent 0.7 per cent. of the total number of employees and self-employed.Comparison over a long time period can be made by focusing on the number of employees only. Figures from the employer surveys show that the proportion of employees in hairdressing and other beauty treatment in Great Britain has stayed constant at 0.4 per cent. between June 1978 (the closest available to the 1979 date requested) and September 1996.