HC Deb 24 February 2003 vol 400 c220W
Mr. Allen

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change there has been in the unemployed totals in Nottingham, North since June 1997. [98320]

Ruth Kelly

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

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Graham Allen dated 24 February 2003As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment in Nottingham North. (98320) The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics from the Labour Force Survey following the internationally standard International LabourOrganisation definition. For Parliamentary Constituencies, information about unemployment rates, but not levels, is available. This information is available on a yearly basis, but not for calendar months. The unemployment rate for the Nottingham North Constituency decreased by 7.6 percentage points from 15.6 per cent in the twelve months ending February 1998 down to 8.0 per cent in the twelve month period ending February 2002. ONS also compiles statistics of claimants of unemployment related benefits. The number of people in the Nottingham North Constituency claiming Jobseeker's Allowance decreased by 1,349 from 3,947 in June 1997 down to 2,598 in January 2003.