§ Mr. MacDougallTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest figure is for unemployment in the Fife region for(a) men, (b) women, (c) men over 50 and (d) women over 50. [93558]
§ John HealeyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. MacDougall, dated 29 January 2003:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment in Fife. (93558)The local Labour Force Survey for March 2001 to February 2002 (not yet adjusted for the 2001 Census) shows an estimated 15,000 unemployed people resident in the Fife local authority district. No figures by age and sex are available as the sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.The Office for National Statistics also compiles claimant count statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. The following table shows the figures for Fife in December 2002.
Claimant count in Fife local authority district—not seasonally adjusted (December 2002) Men Women Total claimants 6,499 1,931 Age 50 and over 1,229 376