asked the Paymaster General (1) if he will list the skillcentres (a) open in June 1979 and (b) closed since 1979, and what was the unemployment rate in the local travel-to-work area for each skillcentre (i) in June 1979 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available;
(2) for each skillcentre closed since 1979, what was the local unemployment rate (a) in June 1979, (b) in the month of closure and (c) at the latest date for which figures are available;
Skillcentre or Skillcentre Annexe open in 1979
| Month of closure if no longer open
| Travel-to-Work area
| Unemployment Rate1 12 February 1987 Per cent.
| Unemployment Rate12 in month of closure Per cent.
| No. of Trainees4 completing courses 1985–86
| Total training 45 weeks offered 1985–86
|
| Barking | London | 10·0 | 217 | 8,455 | ||
| Basildon | Southend | 13·2 | 163 | 5,466 | ||
| Bellshill | Lanarkshire | 21·5 | 20·9 | 879 | 10,307 | |
| Bellshill Annexe | November 1985 | Lanarkshire | 21·5 | |||
| Billingham | Stockton-on-Tees | 18·4 | 279 | 7,204 | ||
| Birmingham | Birmingham | 15·5 | 621 | 15,992 | ||
| Birmingham YIC | March 1986 | Birmingham | 15·5 | 16·4 | 3— | 3— |
| Birmingham (Castle Bromwich) | January 1986 | Birmingham | 15·5 | 16·7 | 184 | 6,256 |
| Bradford | Bradford | 14·8 | 287 | 6,131 | ||
| Bristol | Bristol | 10·5 | 654 | 14,237 | ||
| Bristol Annexe | December 1985 | Bristol | 10·5 | 11·3 | 3— | 3— |
| Cardiff | Cardiff | 13·6 | 426 | 18,009 | ||
| Charlton | London | 10·0 | 3— | 3— | ||
| Chelmsford | Chelmsford and Braintree | 7·2 | 100 | 3,075 | ||
| Chesterfield | Chesterfield | 15·4 | 81 | 3,634 | ||
| Coventry | Coventry and Hinckley | 14·4 | 273 | 6,993 | ||
| Doncaster | March 1986 | Doncaster | 19·7 | 20·6 | 119 | 2,528 |
| Dumbarton | October 1985 | Dumbarton | 20·1 | 20·3 | 14 | 115 |
| Dundee | Dundee | 16·5 | 561 | 6,840 | ||
| Dunfermline | Dunfermline | 16·9 | 242 | 6,240 | ||
| Durham | Durham | 13·6 | 326 | 10,196 | ||
| East Lancashire (Accrington) | Accrington and Rossendale | 13·0 | 338 | 7,238 | ||
| Edinburgh | Edinburgh | 12·0 | 11·6 | 334 | 8,456 | |
| Edinburgh Annexe | March 1986 | Edinburgh | 12·0 | |||
| Enfield | London | 10·0 | 298 | 10,032 | ||
| Glasgow | Glasgow | 17·2 | ||||
| Glasgow (Govan) | June 1985 | Glasgow | 17·2 | 17·6 | ||
| Glasgow (Queenslie) | August 1985 | Glasgow | 17·2 | 17·8 | 16 | 136 |
| Gloucester | Gloucester | 9·0 | 409 | 8,200 | ||
| Gloucester Annexe | February 1986 | Gloucester | 9·0 | 10·1 | 86 | 2,134 |
| Hull | Hull | 16·8 | 545 | 6,480 | ||
| Ipswich | Ipswich | 8·4 | 147 | 5,767 | ||
| Irvine | Irvine | 25·6 | 191 | 4,830 | ||
| Killingworth | December 1985 | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 17·8 | 18·5 | 79 | 4,823 |
| Kirby-in-Ash field (Nottingham) | January 1986 | Nottingham | 13·3 | 14·0 | 275 | 2,754 |
| Leeds | Leeds | 11·9 | 483 | 9,769 | ||
| Leicester | Leicester | 10·0 | 236 | 7,160 | ||
| Letchworth | Hitchin and Letchworth | 7·6 | 462 | 14,319 | ||
| Lambeth YTC | March 1986 | London | 10·0 | 10·7 | 3 | 3 |
| Liverpool | February 1986 | Liverpool | 19·8 | 21·2 | ||
| Llanelli | February 1986 | Llanelli | 17·4 | 19·0 | 114 | 2,035 |
| Long Eaton (Nottingham) | February 1986 | Nottingham | 13·3 | 13·9 | 254 | 5,636 |
| Manchester (Denton) | February 1986 | Manchester | 13·7 | 14·6 | 103 | 2,375 |
| Manchester (Trafford) | Manchester | 13·7 | 477 | 10,861 | ||
| Hindley Annexe | February 1986 | Manchester | 13·7 | 14·6 | ||
| Maryport | Carlisle | 11·8 | ||||
| Medway South | Medway and Maidstone | 11·3 | 306 | 11,385 | ||
| Medway Annexe | March 1986 | Sittingbourne & Sheerness | 14·5 | 15·0 | 111 | 2,798 |
| Middlesbrough | December 1985 | Middlesbrough | 21·7 | 23·2 | 75 | 1,775 |
| Milton Keynes | Milton Keynes | 12·2 | 153 | 5,451 | ||
| Newport (Gwent) | Newport | 15·2 | ||||
| Northampton | Northampton | 9·2 | 89 | 1,881 | ||
| North Staffs (Stoke on Trent) | Stoke | 11·9 |
(3) for each skillcentre what was (a) the number of trainees completing courses and (b) the total training hours offered (i) in 1979 and (ii) in the most recent year for which figures are available.
The available information is contained in the table:
Skillcentre or Skillcentre Annexe open in 1979
| Month of closure if no longer open
| Travel-to-Work area
| Unemployment Rate1 12 February 1987 Per cent.
| Unemployment Rate12 in month of closure Per cent.
| No. of Trainees4 completing courses 1985–86
| Total training 45 weeks offered 1985–86
|
| Norwich | Norwich | 10·0 | 250 | 7,160 | ||
| Nottingham | Nottingham | 13·3 | ||||
| Perivale | London | 10·0 | 160 | 6,667 | ||
| Peterborough | Peterborough | 12·9 | 162 | 5,445 | ||
| Plymouth | Plymouth | 14·7 | 438 | 8,208 | ||
| Plymouth Annexe | January 1986 | Plymouth | 14·7 | 15·8 | 121 | 1,967 |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth | 12·2 | 277 | 8,231 | ||
| Preston | Preston | 11·0 | 300 | 5,927 | ||
| Reading | Reading | 6·8 | 178 | 6,309 | ||
| Redditch | January 1986 | Birmingham | 15·5 | 16·7 | 218 | 4,114 |
| Redruth | Redruth and Cambourne | 21·5 | 311 | 6,599 | ||
| Rochdale | Rochdale | 16·4 | 286 | 6,180 | ||
| Runcorn | Widnes and Runcorn | 18·2 | ||||
| St. Helens | Wigan and St Helens | 18·4 | 211 | 5,896 | ||
| Sheffield | Sheffield | 16·0 | 359 | 8,246 | ||
| Slough | Slough | 6·4 | 226 | 8,405 | ||
| Southampton | Southampton | 11·4 | 319 | 961 | ||
| Southampton (Millbrook) | Southampton | 11·4 | 271 | 7,130 | ||
| Swindon | Swindon | 11·6 | 228 | 6,509 | ||
| Twickenham | Heathrow | 6·8 | 262 | 8,898 | ||
| Twickenham Annexe | Heathrow | 6·8 | ||||
| Tyneside (Gateshead) | South Tyneside | 24·7 | 737 | 12,449 | ||
| Tyneside Annexe | November 1985 | South Tyneside | 24·7 | 25·5 | 3 | 3 |
| Waddon (Sydenham) | September 1985 | London | 10·0 | 10·9 | 64 | 1,156 |
| Waddon Annexe | March 1986 | London | 10·0 | 10·7 | 49 | 2,552 |
| Wakefield | Wakefield and Dewsbury | 14·9 | 206 | 4,727 | ||
| West Glamorgan | Neath and Port Talbot | 13·4 | 477 | 9,826 | ||
| West Gwent | December 1985 | Newport | 15·2 | 15·8 | 87 | 1,804 |
| West Sussex (Lancing) | Worthing | 8·3 | 295 | 8,487 | ||
| West Sussex Annexe | December 1985 | Worthing | 8·3 | 8·6 | 87 | 2,993 |
| Wigan | Wigan and St. Helens | 18·4 | 192 | 4,872 | ||
| Wolverhampton | Wolverhampton | 18·0 | 321 | 7,415 | ||
| Wolverhampton Annexe | January 1986 | Wolverhampton | 18·0 | 19·2 | 87 | 4,546 |
| Wrexham | Wrexham | 17·2 | 334 | 6,647 | ||
| Blaenau, Gwent6 | February 1983 | Blaenau, Gwent and Abvergavenny | 18·6 | |||
1 The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed expressed as a percentage of employees in employment plus the unemployed. | ||||||
2 The comparison of unemployment rates is affected by seasonal factors and changes in the collection and compilation of data, furthermore unemployment statistics are not available for travel-to-work areas in 1979 on the same basis as 1987 because of major revisions to the boundaries in 1984. Statistics for travel-to-work areas as defined in 1978 are available in the Library. | ||||||
3 Figures no longer available. | ||||||
4 Numbers of trainees completing courses and training weeks offered are not available in 1979. | ||||||
5 STA no longer keeps statistics of trainee hours available the number of training weeks offered is used instead. | ||||||
6 The Blaenau, Gwent Skillcentre closed in February 1983. The unemployment rate in that month in the Ebbw Vale travel-to-work area was 24·3 per cent. This area is now covered by the Blaenau, Gwent and Abvergavenny travel-to-work area, and an unemployment rate for this area for February 1983 is not available. | ||||||