§ Helen JonesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the change in the level of unemployment in the Warrington North constituency has been since 1997. [148248]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
1020WLeter from Colin Mowl to Helen Jones dated 19 January 2004:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment in the Warrington North constituency. I am replying in his absence. (148248)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following the internationally standard International Labour Organisation definitions. For Parliamentary constituencies, information about unemployment rates, but not levels, is available. However, the LFS sample size is too small to give reliable estimates of unemployment in the Warrington North constituency.
ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas including Parliamentary constituencies. The annual average number of JSA claimants in the Warrington North constituency decreased by 763 from 2,041 in 1997 to 1,278 in 2003.