To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many, and what percentage of, young people in Chorley were unemployed in each year since 1997. (117190)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 January 2007:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for parliamentary constituencies from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.

Table 1, attached, shows the number of unemployed people, aged 16 to 24, resident in the Chorley constituency, for the 12 months ending in February 1999 and 2000, from the annual local area LFS and for the 12 months ending in March 2005, from the APS and the corresponding unemployment rates which are defined as the number of unemployed expressed as a percentage of the economically active population in the relevant age group. These are the only years for which the sample sizes are sufficient to provide estimates.

The estimates in Table 1 are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area. They are based on very small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty. In this case, the sample sizes are not sufficient to give an accurate estimate of even the direction of the change over the period.

ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached, shows the annual average number of people aged 18 to 24, resident in the Chorley constituency, claiming ISA from 1997 to 2006.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of young people in (a) the London borough of Bexley and (b) Bexleyheath and Crayford were unemployed in each year since 1997. (117288)

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 January 2007:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (117288)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for parliamentary constituencies from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.

Table 1, attached, shows the numbers of unemployed, aged 16 to 24, resident in the London Borough of Bexley and in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency. For the 12 months ending in February from 1997 to 2004 data are from the annual local area LFS and for the 12 months ending in March 2005 and 2006 data are from the APS. The corresponding unemployment rates are defined as the number of unemployed expressed as a percentage of the economically active population in the relevant age group.

As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on very small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty. In this case, the sample sizes are not sufficient to give an accurate estimate of even the direction of the change over the period.

ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached, shows the annual average number of people aged 18 to 24, resident in the London Borough of Bexley and the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, claiming JSA from 1997 to 2006. The figures for Bexley are also expressed as a percentage of the official estimates of the 18 to 24 population, resident in the area. Corresponding proportions for the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency are not available by age group.