---

13 Oct 2008 : Column 944W—continued

Departmental Video Conferencing

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will set a target to increase the use of video-conferencing by his Department to reduce the need to travel to meetings. [195875]

Mr. Watson: The Cabinet Office has video conferencing equipment located throughout its offices in central London, Basingstoke, Birchwood and Easingwold. The equipment is utilised whenever possible to reduce travel costs and to help limit carbon emissions. The Department's travel policy requires staff, as a first step before taking any travel decisions, to consider use of video conferencing facilities. There are no plans to set any specific usage targets.

Departmental Written Questions

Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date. [226885]

Kevin Brennan: The Cabinet Office has received 149 named day questions during the current session to the end of September. Of these, 86 were answered on the due date.

Electorate

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what the average number of electors in (a) English, (b) Scottish, (c) Welsh and (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2007; [225861]

(2) what the average number of electors in the areas covered by the (a) English, (b) Scottish, (c) Welsh and (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies which will be in effect at the next general election was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2007. [225862]

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated October 2008:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your questions asking the Secretary of State for Justice:

1) What the average number of electors in (a) English, (b) Scottish, (c) Welsh and (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2007 (225861).

2) What the average number of electors in the areas covered by the (a) English, (b) Scottish, (c) Welsh and (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies which will be in effect at the next general election was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2007 (225862).

13 Oct 2008 : Column 945W

Table 1 shows the average number of parliamentary electors in (a) English, (b) Scottish, (c) Welsh and (d) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituencies on existing boundaries for the years requested.

Table 2 shows the figures on boundaries that come into effect at the next General Election. Data on these boundaries were only collected for England and Wales for 2007. For Scotland and Northern Ireland electoral data are available only on existing boundaries.

Table 1: Average number of parliamentary electors on existing boundaries
	2001	2004	2007
England	70,503	70,026	71,489
Wales	55,892	55,837	56,392
Scotland	55,094	53,581	65,891
Northern Ireland	66,498	58,085	62,241

Table 2: Average number of parliamentary electors on boundaries that come into effect at the next general election
	2007
England	70,890
Wales	56,437
Source: Office for National Statistics. General Register Office for Scotland, and Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

Employment

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the (a) employment rate and (b)
13 Oct 2008 : Column 946W
the number in employment of the working age population was for (i) the UK population of working age, (ii) foreign nationals of working age, (iii) UK nationals of working age and (iv) UK born workers of working age in each quarter since 1 January 2007; and what the equivalent figures are for all persons in work irrespective of age. [223544]

Kevin Brennan [holding answer 15 September 2008]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated September 2008:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the (a) employment rate and (b) the number in employment of the working age population was for (i) the UK population of working age, (ii) foreign nationals of working age, (iii) UK nationals of working age and (iv) UK born workers of working age in each quarter since 1st January 2007; and what the equivalent figures are for all persons in work irrespective of age. (223544)

The attached tables give the number of people in the categories requested together with the corresponding rates from 1 January 2007. Table 1 shows the working age estimates (16-64 for men and 16-59 for women); table 2 shows the estimates for those aged 16 and over.

The data for analysing employment comes from the Labour Force Survey. Estimates according to nationality are based on the nationality of people at a given time in the LFS.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

13 Oct 2008 : Column 947W

13 Oct 2008 : Column 948W

Table 1: Employment of working age( 1) population by nationality and country of birth, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted
			Employment level (Thousand)	Employment rate( 2) (Percentage)
2007	Q1	UK population	27,776	74
		Foreign nationals(3)	1,978	67
		UK nationals(3)	25,794	75
		UK born	24,529	75
2007	Q2	UK population	27,895	74
		Foreign nationals(3)	2,103	68
		UK nationals(3)	25,784	75
		UK born	24,508	75
2007	Q3	UK population	28,146	75
		Foreign nationals(3)	2,113	69
		UK nationals(3)	26,023	75
		UK born	24,694	76
2007	Q4	UK population	28,232	75
		Foreign nationals(3)	2,173	68
		UK nationals(3)	26,050	76
		UK born	24,718	76
2008	Q1	UK population	28,131	75
		Foreign nationals(3)	2,254	69
		UK nationals(3)	25,870	75
		UK born	24,547	75
2008	Q2	UK population	28,152	75
		Foreign nationals(3)	2,266	69
		UK nationals(3)	25,882	75
		UK born	24,532	75
(1) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (2) The employment rate is the number of people in employment as a percentage of the total number in the relevant group. (3) Foreign and UK nationals may not add to the UK population levels due to those who did not state their nationality. Note: It should be noted that the estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.). Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Table 2: Employment of population aged 16 and over by nationality and country of birth, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted
			Employment level (Thousand)	Employment rate( 1) (Percentage)
2007	Q1	UK population	28,978	60
		Foreign nationals(2)	2,021	61
		UK nationals(2)	26,953	60
		UK born	25,622	60
2007	Q2	UK population	29,100	60
		Foreign nationals(2)	2,143	62
		UK nationals(2)	26,949	60
		UK born	25,616	60
2007	Q3	UK population	29,382	60
		Foreign nationals(2)	2,152	63
		UK nationals(2)	27,219	60
		UK born	25,825	60
2007	Q4	UK population	29,488	60
		Foreign nationals(2)	2,208	63
		UK nationals(2)	27,271	60
		UK born	25,878	60
2008	Q1	UK population	29,438	60
		Foreign nationals(2)	2,290	64
		UK nationals(2)	27,141	60
		UK born	25,755	60
2008	Q2	UK population	29,475	60
		Foreign nationals(2)	2,304	63
		UK nationals(2)	27,167	60
		UK born	25,759	60
(1) The employment rate is the number of people in employment as a percentage of the total number in the relevant group. (2) Foreign and UK nationals may not add to the UK population levels due to those who did not state their nationality. Note: It should be noted that the estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.). Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

---