asked the Paymaster General how many jobs have been lost in the manufacturing sector since 1979 (a) on Merseyside and (b) in Liverpool at the latest available date.

The precise information requested is not available. The Department's statistics for counties and smaller areas monitor only net changes in employment between census dates.No census was taken in 1979, but between June 1978 and September 1981, the latest date for which figures are available, there was a net loss of 45,600 employees employed in manufacturing industries in the county of Merseyside and of 19,900 in the local authority district of Liverpool. The September 1984 census estimates for counties and smaller areas are not yet available. Between censuses, employment statistics are based on small-scale sample inquiries which cannot produce reliable results for areas smaller than the standard economic regions.

asked the Paymaster General what was the percentage of people unemployed in the northern region at May 1979 and the latest available date, respectively.

On 11 December 1986, seasonally adjusted unemployment in the northern region represented 15·9 per cent. of the working population. The corresponding figure for May 1979 was 6·9 per cent.

asked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement about unemployment figures for the north-west.

On 11 December 1986, the number of unemployed claimants in the north-west region was 436,784.

asked the Paymaster General if he will state the number of those people registered as unemployed in the constituency of Basildon in January 1983, January 1984, January 1985, January 1986 and January 1987.

Following is the available information. The table shows the numbers of unemployed claimants in the parliamentary constituency of Basildon in January of each year since 1984. Statistics of unemployment for parliamentary constituencies are derived from the ward-based system and are available only from June 1983. The January 1987 unemployment figures will be available on 12 February.

asked the Paymaster General what are the unemployment figures, broken down by male, female and

Short asked the Paymaster General what were the unemployment totals for each parliamentary constituency on (a) 10 May 1979 and (b) 9 June 1983; and how many unemployed claimants aged (i) under 18 years and (ii) 18 to 25 years there were in each constituency at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Following is the available information, which is also available from the Library. Statistics of unemployment for parliamentary constituencies are derived from the word-based system and are available only from June 1983. The tables show the number of unemployed claimants in each parliamentary constituency in Great Britain on 9 June 1983, and the numbers of unemployed claimants aged under 18 years and aged 18 to 24 years in each constituency at 9 October 1986.

The following information is in the Library. The table gives the number of unemployed male and female claimants in the age groups requested for October of each year since 1983 in the Langbaurgh parliamentary constituency. The comparison is affected by the change in the compilation of unemployment statistics in March 1986. Statistics of unemployment for parliamentary constituencies are derived from the ward-based system and are available only from June 1983.