§ Mrs. GilroyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to(a) Plymouth, Sutton constituency, (b) Plymouth, Devonport constituency and (c) South-West Devon constituency, the effects on the Plymouth Unitary Authority area of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [158031]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonPlymouth, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, is benefiting from the long-term action we have taken to build economic stability and secure high and stable levels of growth and employment. Since the general election, the levels of claimant, youth and long-term unemployment in the three constituencies have changed as follows:
Percentage changes: April 1997 to March 2001 Constituency Claimant unemployment Youth unemployment Long-term unemployment Plymouth, Sutton -58 -91 -77 Plymouth, Devonport -59 -88 -81 South-West Devon -62 -88 -85 Macroeconomic stability is being complemented at the microeconomic level by the Government's policies to ease the transition from welfare into work and make work pay. To the end of January 2001, the total number of young people who have started the New Deal for 18–24-year-olds and found employment in each of the three constituencies was as follows:
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Constituency Total starts Total into employment1 Plymouth, Sutton 1,807 1,006 (56) Plymouth, Devonport 1,454 824 (57) South-West Devon 460 284 (62) 1 Percentage of starts in brackets. The working families tax credit (WFTC), introduced in October 1999, is helping to make work pay for low and middle income families. In November 2000, 2,000 families in Plymouth, Sutton, 3,500 in Plymouth, Devonport and 1,300 in South-West Devon constituencies were benefiting from WFTC.
The Government are also committed to policies that enable pensioners to share in the country's rising prosperity. All pensioners, including 16,000 in Plymouth, Sutton, 17,500 in Plymouth, Devonport and 17,200 in South-West Devon, have received an above-inflation increase in the basic state pension from April 2001. Single pensioners receive an extra £5 a week, and couples receive an extra £8 a week. All pensioners aged 75 or over have also been entitled to a free TV licence since November 2000—including around 7,600 in Plymouth, Sutton, 6,500 in Plymouth, Devonport and 7,200 in South-West Devon.