HC Deb 23 June 2004 vol 422 cc1408-9W
Mr. Woodward

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the percentage change has been in unemployment in(a) St. Helens, South, (b)St. Helens, (c)Merseyside and (d) the north-west since 2001. [178112]

Ruth Kelly

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Shaun Woodward, dated 23 June 2004:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the percentage change in unemployment. (178112)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions. Seasonally adjusted data for regions are published monthly. The most recent figures for the North West show that, between January to March 2001 and January to March 2004, unemployment fell by 17,000 or 10.2 per cent.

Data for areas smaller than regions are available less frequently and changes cannot be measured reliably. The attached table 1 gives the estimates of the levels in Merseyside, St. Helens South Parliamentary Constituency and in the St. Helens Local Authority district between the 12 months ending February 2002 and February 2003, the latest data for which information is available. Comparable figures for the North West are included in the table.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are subject to sampling variability.

ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas including Parliamentary Constituencies. Table 2 gives the number of JSA claimants and changes in the St. Helens South Constituency, St. Helens Local Authority District, Merseyside and the North West region between May 2001 and May 2004.

Table 1: Level of unemployment, and percentage change in level, areas as shown, 2002 and 20031
Thousand, percentage
Level of unemployment Percentage change Area
Area 2002 2003 2002–03
North West2 162 171 5.6
Merseyside 45 43 -3.7
St. Helens South (parliamentary constituency) 2 2 3—
St. Helens (local authority district) 5 4 3—
1 12 month periods ending in February of each year.
2 Includes Merseyside.
3 The sampling variability on the estimates is too great to provide meaningful estimates of changes.
Source:
ONS Labour Force Survey annual datasets

Table 2: Number of claimants of jobseekers' allowance, and percentage change, areas as shown, 2001 and 2004
Number of ISA
claimant Percentage change
Area May 2001 May 2004 Percentage
North West1 127,073 101,604 -20.0
Merseyside 40,318 31,468 -219
St. Helens South (parliamentary constituency) 2,246 1,661 -26.0
St. Helens (local authority district) 4,059 3,011 -25.8
Includes Merseyside.
Source:
Jobcentre Plus administrative system.