§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Tamworth were unemployed and claiming benefit in(a) 1997 and (b) 1999. [105152]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Brian Jenkins, dated 18 January 2000:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on how many people in Tamworth were unemployed and claiming benefit in (a) 1997 and (b) 1999.The ONS publish a monthly count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits. The claimant count consists of all people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or National Insurance credits at Employment Service local offices. They must declare that they are out of work, capable of, available for and actively seeking work during the week in which the claim is made.The average unadjusted claimant count level in the Tamworth constituency was 1,775 or 4.5% of the workforce in 1997 and 1,633 or 4.1% of the workforce in 1999*.* Average of 11 months: January to November 1999.