asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing a breakdown of those unemployed in Kilmarnock by age; and how this compares with May 1979.
The following table provides an analysis by age of the number unemployed in Kilmarnock at 14 January 1982, the latest date for which information is available, and 10 April 1979, the nearest date to May 1979 for which information is available.
| Unemployment by Age in Kilmarnock | ||
| January 1982 | April 1979 | |
| Under 18 | 508 | 205 |
| 18 years | 272 | 165 |
| 19 years | 290 | 169 |
| 20–24 | 1,256 | 652 |
| 25–29 | 886 | 423 |
| 30–34 | 725 | 283 |
| 35–44 | 1,076 | 416 |
| 45–49 | 517 | 171 |
| 50–54 | 514 | 183 |
| 55–59 | 542 | 179 |
| 60 and over | 413 | 186 |
| Total | 6,999 | 3,032 |
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many young people in Kilmarnock under the age of 18 years have never had a job since leaving school.
At 11 March 1982, there were 391 young people under the age of 18 years registered as unemployed at the employment and careers offices in Kilmarnock, who had never been in employment since completing full-time education.
:asked the Secretary of State for Scotland which firms in Kilmarnock have ceased operations since May 1979; and how many jobs have been lost thereby.
Comprehensive information on redundancies is not available. However, between 1 May 1979 and 31 March 1982 17 instances of redundancies involving 10 or more workers and leading to closure were notified to the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur in Kilmarnock, with a total loss of 3,113 jobs. Information on redundancies and closures is given to the commission in confidence and the names of the companies involved cannot therefore be disclosed.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide analysis by duration of unemployment by number and percentage for Kilmarnock for the following groups: (a) up to one year, (b) over one and up to two years, (c) over two and up to three years and (d) over three years; and what are the comparable percentage figures for Scotland.
The following table provides information on duration of unemployment at 14 January 1982, the latest date for which information is available.
| Unemployment by Duration | |||
| Kilmarnock | Scotland | ||
| Number | Percentage | Percentage | |
| Up to 1 year | 4,798 | 68·6 | 70·1 |
| Over 1, up to 2 years | 1,262 | 18·0 | 18·7 |
| Over 2, up to 3 years | 414 | 5·9 | 5·3 |
| Over 3 years | 525 | 7·5 | 5·9 |
| Total | 6,999 | 100·0 | 100·0 |
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set out the current number of unemployed persons in Kilmarnock by standard industrial classification; and what were the comparative figures for May 1979.
The following table provided by the Manpower Services Commission gives an analysis by standard industrial classification of the numbers registered as unemployed at employment and careers offices in Kilmarnock on 10 May 1979 and 12 August 1981, the latest date for which information is available.
| Analysis by SIC of numbers registered as unemployed in Kilmarnock | ||
| 12 August 1981 | 10 May 1979 | |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 88 | 42 |
12 August 1981
| 10 May 1979
| |
| Mining and Quarrying | 27 | 21 |
| Food, Drink and Tobacco | 227 | 108 |
| Coal and Petroleum Products | 5 | — |
| Chemical and Allied Industries | 33 | 15 |
| Metal Manufacture | 24 | 17 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 952 | 153 |
| Instrument Engineering | 4 | 1 |
| Electrical Engineering | 12 | 8 |
| Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering | 9 | 12 |
| Vehicles | 92 | 35 |
| Metal Goods not elsewhere specified | 104 | 38 |
| Textiles | 456 | 327 |
| Leather Goods and Fur | 6 | 1 |
| Clothing and Footwear | 77 | 52 |
| Bricks, Pottery, Glass, Cement etc. | 231 | 40 |
| Timber Furniture etc. | 27 | 8 |
| Paper Printing and Publishing | 27 | 22 |
| Other Manufacturing Industries | 13 | 6 |
| Construction | 746 | 427 |
| Gas, Electricity and Water | 13 | 15 |
| Transport and Communication | 234 | 107 |
| Distributive Trades | 505 | 296 |
| Insurance, Banking, Finance, and Business Services | 84 | 31 |
| Professional and Scientific Services | 161 | 88 |
| Miscellaneous Services | 486 | 288 |
| Public Administration and Defence | 356 | 224 |
| Not Classified by Industry | 1,103 | 555 |
| Grand Total | 6,102 | 2,937 |
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the years in which there was (a) the lowest and (b) the highest average annual unemployment numbers and rates in the following periods in Kilmarnock:(i) 1950 to 1959, (ii) 1960 to 1969" (iii) 1970 to 1979 and (iv) 1979 to 1982.
The information is set out in the following table:
| Year in which numbers registered as unemployed and percentage rates in Kilmarnock were: | ||
| Period | (a) Lowest | (b) Highest |
| 1950–1959 | 1951 | 1959 |
| 1960–1969 | 1966 | 1967 |
| 1970–1979 | 1970 | 1979 |
| 1979–1982 | 1979 | 1982 |
Note: The above table has been complied on the basis of annual averages, with the exception of 1982 which relates only to the first quarter of the year.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of people unemployed in Ayrshire on average in 1966 and in 1981.
The information is as follows:
| Numbers registered as unemployed in Ayrshire (annual average) | |
| 1966 | 4,229 |
| 1981 | 26,822 |
Note: Ayrshire comprises the following employment office areas—Ayr, Troon, Cumnock, Girvan, Irvine, Kilwinning, Saltcoats, Kilmarnock. Largs and Kilbirnie.