asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many vacancies are registered in the Hartlepool exchange area for men and boys; how many men and boys are registered as unemployed; and if he will express this figure as a ratio of the vacancies.

At December, 1971 there were provisionally 24 notified vacancies for males remaining unfilled in the area covered by the Hartlepool and Hartlepool Headland Employment Exchanges. The number of males registered as wholly unemployed was 3,286, a ratio of 137:1. As there is no obligation on employers to notify their vacancies to my Department, the vacancy figure does not purport to measure the total unsatisfied demand for male labour in the area.