§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many unemployed people there are in Wales; and what the percentage change was in the last year in each constituency, listed in descending order of percentage reduction. [157663]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Martyn Jones, dated 9 March 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment in Wales and its Parliamentary Constituencies. [157663]
In the three months ending in December 2003, there were an estimated 65,000 unemployed people aged 16 and over in Wales. Information on the levels or unemployment in each Parliamentary Constituency is not available as the Labour Force Survey sample is too small to give reliable estimates.
However, information is available on the number of people claiming .Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) in each Constituency in Wales. The total number of JSA claimants in Wales as a whole in January 2004 was 45,944. The attached table shows, for each Parliamentary Constituency in Wales, the percentage change in JSA claimants over the twelve month period ending January 2004.
1485W1486W
Percentage change from January 2003 to January 2004 in the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance in Wales, by Parliamentary constituency Percentage Area Change Wales -9.1 Caernarfon -22.9 Cerediglon -19.6 Wrexham -18.0 Cardiff South and Penarth -15.7 Clwyd South -15.6 Meirionnydd Nant Conwy -15.3 Vale of Glamorgan -14.4 Ynys-Mon -13.3 Llanelli -13.1 Newport East -13.0 Newport West -12.5 Blaenau Gwent -12.0 Gower -11.4 Vale of Clwyd -11.1 Clwyd West -10.4 Cardiff Central -10.0 Cardiff West -10.0 Carmarthen East and Dinefwr -9.9 Aberavon -9.8 Islwyn -9.8 Conwy -9.4 Alyn and Deeside -8.2 Preseli Pembrokeshire -7.6 Cardiff North -7.3 Neath -7.3 Caerphilly -7.2 Swansea West -7.1 Pontypridd -6.1 Delyn -5.9 Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire -5.2 Bridgend -4.7 Ogmore -4.6 Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney -4.0 Monmouth -3.0 Torfaen -1.8
Percentage change from January 2003 to January 2004 in the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance in Wales, by Parliamentary constituency Percentage Area Change Swansea East -1.7 Rhondda -0.6 Brecon and Radnorshire 1.0 Cynon Valley 3.4 Montgomeryshire 16.7 Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system