§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what assessment he has made of the most recent employment statistics; [129500]
(2) what the change in the level of unemployment in the Crosby constituency has been since 1997. [129502]
§ Mr. BrowneLatest statistics show that employment is at record levels and that the number of people in work continues to grow. Employment has risen by 63,000 in the last quarter, 224,000 over the last year and by more than 1.5 million since 1997.
The improvement in the labour market has been spread right across the country. Since 1997, unemployment rates have fallen fastest in the areas with the highest unemployment. In Crosby, claimant unemployment has nearly halved since 1997, while the number of long-term unemployed claimants has fallen by 70 per cent.