HC Deb 04 February 2002 vol 379 cc752-3W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are unemployed in the Greater London area; and if he will make a statement. [32125]

Ruth Kelly

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from John Kidgell to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 4 January 2002: The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment in Greater London. I am replying in his absence. (32125) The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates of unemployment in the Greater London region, based on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of unemployment. The most recently available figures— for autumn (September to November) 2001— show that the number of unemployed people in Greater London was 269,000, with an unemployment rate of 7.2 per cent. These estimates are not seasonally adjusted.