§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many(a) total unemployed, (b) long-term unemployed and (c) young unemployed there were in each ward of Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [154712]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated 20 March 2001:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question regarding the number of (a) total unemployed, (b) long term unemployed and (c) young unemployed there were in each ward in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1979.
The ONS publishes unemployment statistics at national and sub-national levels from the Labour Force Survey following the definitional guidelines promulgated by the International Labour Organisation. This information is however, unavailable for the areas requested.
The ONS also publishes information based on the administrative records of claimants of unemployment-related benefits. These cover 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.
Information on the claimant count of each month since June 1983 for each ward of Shrewsbury and Atcham can be obtained from the Nomis® database at the House of Commons Library.