§ John BarrettTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were unemployed in(a) the Edinburgh West parliamentary constituency, (b) the City of Edinburgh local authority area and (c) Scotland in each year between 1985 and 1995. [136624]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. John Barrett, dated 5 November 2003:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on the number of people unemployed in (a) the Edinburgh West parliamentary constituency, (b) the City of Edinburgh local authority area and (c) Scotland in each year between 1985 and 1995. I am replying in his absence. (136624)The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following the internationally standard International Labour Organisation definition. However, the data for the years requested are not available. ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (ISA) or previous unemployment benefits for local areas including Parliamentary Constituencies. Data are not fully comparable over time.652WThe table gives the average number of claimants each year from 1985 to 1995 in the Edinburgh West Parliamentary Constituency, City of Edinburgh Local Authority and in Scotland. The figures are not seasonally adjusted.
Annual average level of claimants for the years 1985 to 1995 Edinburg West parliamentary constituency1 City of Edinburgh local authority Scotland 1985 2,473 26,976 352,967 1986 2,574 28,112 360,201 1987 2,415 27,492 345,766 1988 2,012 23,542 293,598 1989 1,484 18,222 234,690 1990 1,353 15,708 202,518 1991 1,720 18,017 220,217 1992 2,039 20,389 241,031 1993 2,101 20,933 246,420 1994 1,991 19,606 231,465 1995 1,721 17,423 203,494 1 Based on the 1981 Parliamentary Constituency wards.