asked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the main findings of his Department's latest survey of the labour force and, in particular, on the number of those on the unemployment register who either had a job or were not seeking work during the period of the survey; and if he will indicate the criteria used in determining whether such persons should be included in the unemployment statistics.

The 1984 labour force survey showed that there were about 740,000 claimants without a job but not actively seeking work in the survey week and therefore not classified as unemployed using the survey definition. There were a further 200,000 claimants not classed as unemployed because they said they had a paid job. The monthly unemployment count includes all those who make a claim at an unemployment benefit office for unemployment benefit, supplementary benefit or national insurance credits and sign on as available for work.