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87. Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the rate of the fall in unemployment in the last 12 months in the east midlands ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : In the 12 months to January 1989, the level of unemployment seasonally adjusted, in the east midlands fell by 34,300 or 21.9 per cent. on a consistent basis.
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of people who were classified as long- term unemployed in January 1983 and January 1989.
Mr. Lee : In January 1989 the number of unemployed claimants who had been unemployed for more than 12 months in the United Kingdom, was 821,419 compared with 1,106,771 in January 1983. The comparison is affected by the 1983 Budget measures for certain older men, mostly aged 60 and over, who no longer need to sign on to get their benefits, the change in compilation of the count in March 1986 to reduce over-recording, and the change in the coverage of the count from September 1988 due to new benefit regulations affecting those young people aged under 18.
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the percentage fall in unemployment in the parliamentary constituencies in the city of Birmingham since June 1987.
Mr. Lee : The following information is also available from the Library. The table shows the number of unemployed claimants in June 1987 and January 1989 for each of the Birmingham parliamentary constituencies, together with the percentage change over the period. The figures affected by seasonal influences as well as by the change in the coverage of the count due to new benefit regulations from September 1988 for young people aged under 18.
Constituency |June 1987 |January 1989 |Percentage change ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Birmingham Edgbaston |5,001 |3,548 |-29.0 Birmingham Erdington |7,359 |5,196 |-29.4 Birmingham Hall Green |5,314 |3,700 |-30.4 Birmingham Hodge Hill |7,081 |5,152 |-27.2 Birmingham Ladywood |8,892 |6,606 |-25.7 Birmingham Northfield |7,663 |5,630 |-26.5 Birmingham Perry Barr |7,400 |5,301 |-28.4 Birmingham Small Heath |9,599 |7,344 |-23.5 Birmingham Sparkbrook |8,566 |6,188 |-27.8 Birmingham Yardley |4,721 |3,185 |-32.5 Birmingham Selly Oak |5,750 |4,203 |-26.9 Sutton Coldfield |3,243 |2,156 |-33.5
123. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the level of unemployment now ; what was the level in June 1987 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : In January 1989 the level of unemployment, seasonally adjusted, in the United Kingdom was 1,988,100 compared with 2,857,200 in June 1987 on the same basis, a fall of 869,100. Unemployment is now at its lowest level for eight years.
132. Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people included in the unemployment count are early retired people or those in receipt of the carer's allowance not seeking work ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : Information is not available in the form requested. However, according to preliminary results of the labour force survey for spring 1988, in Great Britain there were some 60,000 claimants in the unemployment count who were not unemployed on the ILO/OECD definition and who gave retirement as their main reason for not seeking work in the previous week.
133. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make an up-to-date statement on the employment situation in West Norfolk.
Mr. Lee : The latest available information from the September 1984 census of employment shows that there were 41,000 employees in employment in the West Norfolk local authority area compared with 39, 400 in September 1981, an increase of 4.3 per cent. between the two census dates. Estimates from the 1987 census of employment will become available later this year.
More recent information is available about unemployment. In January 1989 the number of unemployed claimants in the West Norfolk local authority area was 3,148 compared with 4,876 in January 1988, a fall of 1,728 or 35.4 per cent.
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134. Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the level of vacancies in Kent.
Mr. Lee : In January 1989 the number of unfilled vacancies at jobcentres in Kent was 6,937. Vacancies at jobcentres do not represent the total number of vacancies in the economy. Recent research shows, nationally, only about one third of vacancies are notified to jobcentres. This proportion will tend to vary between different areas.
135. Mr. Duffy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the level of unemployment, expressed as a percentage, according to the latest available figures for the Sheffield travel-to-work area ; and what was the figure 10 years ago.
Mr. Lee : In January 1989 the number of unemployed claimants in the Sheffield travel-to-work area was 31,687 or 11.2 per cent. of employees in employment plus the unemployed. The corresponding figure for the Sheffield 1978 travel-to-work area in January 1979 was 13,771 or 4.6 per cent. The figures are affected by the changes in the boundaries of travel-to-work areas as well as in the coverage of the unemployment count, and are therefore not comparable.
138. Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the latest figures for unemployment in Basildon ; and what were the corresponding figures for the same period in each of the last four years.
Mr. Lee : The table shows the number of unemployed claimants in Basildon local authority area for each January from 1986 to 1989. The figures are affected by the change in the compilation of the count in March 1986 to reduce over-recording and by the change in the coverage of the count from September 1988 due to the introduction of new benefit regulations for young people aged under 18.
|c|Unemployment in Basildon local authority area|c|
January |Number of unemployed
|claimants
---------------------------------------------------------------
1986 |9,073
1987 |8,695
1988 |6,287
1989 |4,145
144. Mr. Hanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of people in employment in London.
Mr. Lee : In September 1988, the latest date for which figures are available the civilian work force in employment in Greater London was 4,014,000. This represents an increase of 253,000 or 7 per cent. since September 1983. The civilian work force in employment is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and participants in work-related Government training programmes.
149. Mr. Ashby : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the level of employment in the east midlands.
Mr. Lee : In September 1988, the latest date for which figures are available the civilian work force in employment in the east midlands region was 1,836,000. This represents
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an increase of 219,000 or 14 per cent. since September 1983. The civilian work force in employment is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and participants in work-related Government training programmes.150. Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the rate of unemployment in the north-west in January and February ; and what was the rate recorded in January and February 1988.
Mr. Lee : In January 1989 the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the north-west was 9.6 per cent., compared with 11.6 per cent. and 11.4 per cent. on the same basis, in January and February 1988 respectively.
The February 1989 unemployment figures are not available until 16 March.
151. Mr. Allan Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in which regions of the United Kingdom the rate of unemployment has fallen fastest ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : In the 12 months to January 1989 the largest falls in the regional seasonally adjusted unemployment rates, were in the west midlands, 2.5 percentage points, and Wales 2.2 percentage points, compared with the United Kingdom average of 1.9 percentage points.
162. Mr. Summerson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the numbers of long-term unemployed aged 16 to 24 years in (a) January 1983 and (b) January 1989.
Mr. Lee : In January 1989 the number of unemployed claimants aged 16 to 24 years who had been unemployed for more than 12 months in the United Kingdom was 136,969 compared with 258,470 in January 1983. The comparison is affected by the change in compilation of the count in March 1986 to reduce over-recording and the change in the coverage of the count from September 1988 due to new benefit regulations for those young people aged under 18.
164. Mr. David Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current employment position in the United Kingdom.
168. Mr. Kirkhope : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently employed in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : Between March 1983 and September 1988 the work force in employment in the United Kingdom increased by 2,813,000 to 26,374,000, the highest level on record. This rising trend has now continued for more than five years. The figures have been adjusted for the effects of seasonal variations. The work force in employment is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed, HM forces and participants in work-related Government training programmes.
169. Mr. Rowe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women are now working ; how many were working in 1986 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : In September 1988 the latest date for which figures are available the female work force in employment in Great Britain was 11,059,000. In September 1986 it was 10,276,000. This represents an increase of 8 per cent.
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171. Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the level of employment in the south-west of England.
Mr. Lee : In September 1988, the latest date for which figures are available, the civilian work force in employment in the south-west region was 1,982,000. This represents an increase of 224,000 or 13 per cent. since September 1983. Th civilian work force in employment is the sum of employees in employment, the self-employed and participants in work-related Government training programmes.
National Dock Labour Scheme
24. Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many registered dock workers have been recruited in the last 12 months by the dock labour scheme port of Tees and Hartlepool.
Mr. Nicholls : In the port of Tees and Hartlepool 12 registered dock workers have been recruited in the last 12 months.
32. Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many dockers were employed by dock labour scheme ports in 1979 ; how many are currently employed in those ports ; and if he will estimate similar figures for non-scheme ports.
Mr. Nicholls : Dock labour scheme ports employed 25,770 registered dock workers in 1979, in 1989 they currently employ 9,471. Comparable figures for non-scheme ports are not available.
34. Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to seek to amend the dock labour scheme with a view to implementing the free movement of labour provisions of the Single European Act in 1992.
90. Mr. Irvine : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he intends to review the operation of the national dock labour scheme.
Mr. Nicholls : The Government's position on the scheme remains unchanged as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister confirmed in the House on January 19 1989, at columns 481-82 .
58. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to meet the National Association of Port Employers to discuss the future of the dock labour scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to meet the National Association of Port Employers to discuss the future of the dock labour scheme.
61. Mrs. Gillian Shephard : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the national average age of registered dock workers in dock labour scheme ports.
Mr. Nicholls : In 1987 (the latest available date) the national average age for registered dock workers in dock labour scheme ports was 46.7 years.
63. Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received concerning the future of the dock labour scheme.
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Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations about the future of the dock labour scheme.
74. Mr. Nicholas Baker : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the 1988 average wage of registered dock workers in dock labour scheme ports.
Mr. Nicholls : The average earnings of registered dock workers in the last quarter of 1988 was £341.83 per week.
77. Mrs. Peacock : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the impact of the dock labour scheme on the creation of real jobs in port areas.
Mr. Nicholls : Where the dock labour scheme has sustained inefficiency in dock work leading to loss of business, and has acted as a disincentive to investment in adjacent areas, there is no doubt that local job prospects have suffered.
89. Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many demarcation disputes exist at the present time in relation to registered dock workers claiming work that is currently undertaken by other workers.
Mr. Nicholls : Four cases arising from disputed definitions of dock work under the dock labour scheme are currently under litigation.
95. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what reports he received of the National Dock Labour Board's monthly meetings.
Mr. Nicholls : There is no requirement for the National Dock Labour Board to provide me with reports of its monthly meetings.
99. Mr. David Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from the fishing industry in Grimsby or Aberdeen on the future of the dock labour scheme.
Mr. Nicholls : I have received a number of representations about the operation of the dock labour scheme on the fishing industry in Grimsby and Aberdeen.
142. Mr. Waller : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he intends to examine the operations of the dock labour scheme on the River Thames ; and whether representations have been made to him about the effect on businesses along the Thames brought about by the operation of the dock labour scheme.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend has received and noted several representations about the operation of the dock labour scheme on the Thames river.
165. Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are now covered by the national dock labour scheme.
Mr. Nicholls : The total number of registered dock workers in ports covered by the national dock labour scheme was 9,741 on 28 February 1989.
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average daily surplus of labour in dock labour scheme ports during 1988.
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Mr. Nicholls : In 1988 the average daily surplus of labour in dock labour scheme ports was 932.
Drug Misuse
25. Mr. Rathbone : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his latest estimate of working hours lost each year from drug misuse.
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Mr. Nicholls : It is not possible to estimate with any accuracy the effect of drug misuse on working hours lost. No one knows the full extent of drugs misuse in this country but it is clear that this serious problem affects a significant number of people who are or who otherwise could be in employment.
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Wages Councils
30. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what evidence he has that the abolition of wages councils will result directly in employment growth ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : There is now a large body of research which establishes that there is a link between the level of pay and jobs and there are studies by academics and others which point to the adverse effects on jobs of statutory minimum rates. Employers also report that the levels at which wages council minima are set influence the amount of employment that they are prepared to offer.
Tourism
35. Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to change the grant structure of the tourist boards for the United Kingdom.
Mr. Lee : A wide range of issues is being looked at as part of the tourism review announced last July. The review report is currently under consideration.
59. Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the current levels of capital investment in the tourist industry.
Mr. Lee : The English tourist board's "Tourism Investment Report" shows that the total amount spent on tourism projects in England, with a value of £0.5 million or more, which were completed in 1988 was £605 million. Investment in such projects which were still under construction at 31 December 1988 totalled £2,114 million.
64. Mr. Bevan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the moratorium on section 4 grants has had any effect on the levels of capital investment in tourism and hospitality developments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : The suspension of the section 4 scheme was announced some seven weeks ago and it is too early to assess what effect this has had on the level of capital investment. However, the £13.2 million spent on the section 4 scheme in the current financial year is minuscule compared with total new capital investment in tourism and leisure, estimated to be worth £2.5 billion in major projects in England during the last six months of 1988 and thus the moratorium is unlikely to have had any significant effect.
93. Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the prospects for the tourism industry in 1989.
Mr. Lee : Levels of investment and forward bookings show that prospects for the domestic tourism industry in 1989 are excellent. A recent survey carried out by the English tourist board indicates that there has been an upsurge in bookings for holidays in Britain. Operators are reporting increases of up to 50 per cent. on 1988 so far this year and coupled with approximately £2 billion worth of facilities due to come on stream make the prospects for 1989 very promising.
160. Mr. Hayes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to meet the chairman of the BTA to discuss the promotion of Britain in the United States of America ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Lee : Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I frequently meet the chairman of the British Tourist Authority. There are no plans for a separate meeting to discuss this specific issue.
167. Mr. Butterfill : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to meet the chairman of the British Tourist Association to discuss promotion of tourism from Japan to the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lee : I frequently meet the chairman of the British Tourist Authority to discuss aspects of promotion of tourism from overseas and we are both aware of the great potential of the Japanese market. In June I hope to lead a delegation of senior figures in the tourism industry to Japan to explore ways of encouraging more Japanese visitors to Great Britain. This will build on the Government's wider "Opportunity Japan" campaign of which tourism is an integral part.
Lost Working Days
40. Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average annual number of working days lost through stoppages for the period of the past nine years ; and what was the figure for the preceding nine years.
Mr. Nicholls : The average annual number of working days lost through stoppages of work due to industrial disputes for the period 1980 to 1988 is provisionally estimated as 7,562,000 ; the figure for the period 1971 to 1979 was 13,081,000.
148. Mr. Janman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the work days lost in (a) January 1979 and (b) January 1989.
Mr. Nicholls : The number of working days lost through stoppages of work due to industrial disputes in January 1979 was 2,966,000. The most recently available figure relates to December 1988, for which it is provisionally estimated that 35,000 working days were lost ; the January 1989 figures will be published on 16 March in the labour market statistics press notice.
Retirement Policy
42. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action he is taking to encourage workers over 60 years to remain in their jobs and not retire ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Kent (Mr. Rowe) on 14 February 1989 at column 154.
Trades Union Congress
50. Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to meet the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress to discuss vocational qualifications ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no present plans to do so.
103. Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to meet the general
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secretary of the Trades Union Congress to discuss the current employment situation ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend has no plans for such a meeting in the immediate future.
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