asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people became unemployed in 1977, 1978 and 1979.

The information is not available in the precise form requested. In January 1977, there were 1,390,000 people registered as unemployed in Great Britain. In January 1978, there were 1,485,000—a net increase of 94,000. In January 1979, there were 1,391,000 people unemployed—a net decrease over January 1978 of 93,000.In January 1980, there were 1,404,000 people unemployed, a net increase over January 1979 of 13,000, although the figures for these two dates are not strictly comparable due to the introduction in October 1979 of fortnightly attendance and payment of benefit, which had the effect of increasing the register by an estimated 20,000.