asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the number of persons, at the nearest convenient date, who have become totally unemployed
| 10 May 1979 | 6 December 1979 | Difference | |||
| South-East | … | … | 273,500 | 258,700 | —14,800 |
| East Anglia | … | … | 31,000 | 29,600 | —1,400 |
| South-West | … | … | 90,900 | 87,000 | —3,900 |
| West Midlands | … | … | 118,700 | 122,100 | +3,400 |
| East Midlands | … | … | 71,900 | 72,500 | +600 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | … | … | 113,300 | 111,900 | —1,400 |
| North-West | … | … | 189,800 | 189,200 | —600 |
| North | … | … | 109,400 | 111,000 | +1,600 |
| Wales | … | … | 81,400 | 78,900 | —2,500 |
| Scotland | … | … | 165,900 | 170,500 | +4,600 |
| Great Britain | … | … | 1,247,200 | 1,233,800 | —13,400 |
asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons were unemployed for four weeks or less, since 10 May 1979, nationally and by region.
The following table gives the numbers of people who had been registered as unemployed for four weeks
| 10 May 1979 | 6 December 1979 | Difference | |||
| South-East | … | … | 41,038 | 50,956 | +9,918 |
| East Anglia | … | … | 4,519 | 5,460 | +941 |
| South-West | … | … | 11,469 | 14,440 | +2,971 |
| West Midlands | … | … | 14,549 | 16,961 | +2,412 |
| East Midlands | … | … | 8,072 | 11,470 | +3,398 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | … | … | 14,131 | 18,734 | +4,603 |
| North-West | … | … | 22,494 | 25,697 | +3,203 |
| North | … | … | 13,532 | 15,957 | +2,425 |
| Wales | … | … | 10,012 | 12,023 | +2,011 |
| Scotland | … | … | 20,591 | 25,721 | +5,130 |
| Great Britain | … | … | 160,407 | 197,419 | +37,012 |
The numbers of applicants who took up duty as a result of competitions for general and specialist inspectors of factories during the spring of 1979 were:since 10 May 1979, nationally and by region;(2) how many persons, at the nearest convenient date, have become unemployed since 10 May 1978, nationally and by region.
The following table gives the numbers of people registered as unemployed in Great Britain as a whole and in each standard region at 10 May 1979 and 6 December 1979 and the differences between these dates. The figures exclude school leavers and are seasonally adjusted.or less in Great Britain as a whole and in each standard region at 10 May 1979 and 6 December 1979 and the differences between these dates. The figures include school leavers and are not seasonally adjusted. They may be affected by seasonal factors and the introduction of fortnightly payment of benefit in September 1979.