Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people were (a) economically active, (b) (i) students, (ii) living with a long-term illness and (iii) in each other economically inactive category, (c) economically active and in work and (d) economically active and seeking work in (A) April 2010 and (B) the latest month for which statistics are available in North West Durham constituency.

Statistics on economic activity for constituencies are published by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) and come from the Annual Population Survey (APS).

As the figures below are estimates from survey data, of different-sized sub-groups of the population at a local level they are subject to varying levels of uncertainty due to small sample sizes – which we describe alongside the estimates.

For North West Durham, in the year July 2009 to June 2010 (including the month April 2010), there were:

a) 45,000 estimated economically active people. The ONS are 95% confident that the economic activity rate lies between 69.7% and 81.9%, with a central estimate of 75.8%. The economic activity rate is the proportion of the working age population (aged 16-64; 59,400 people in 2010) who are economically active.

b) Due to the very small number of people in this local area with these characteristics in the APS sample, these estimates are highly uncertain:

i) This data is not available, please see the section below.

ii) ONS estimates that 4,200 were inactive due to long-term sickness. The ONS are 95% confident that it lies between 16.5% and 41.7% of the inactive working age population, with a central estimate of 29.1%.

iii) Other reasons for inactivity: 3,800 people are estimated to be inactive due to retirement. The ONS are 95% confident that this estimate lies between 14.1% and 38.5% of the inactive working age population, with a central estimate of 26.3%.

c) 42,500 people were estimated to be employed. The ONS are 95% confident that the employment rate lies between 65.2% and 78%, with a central estimate of 71.6%.

For North West Durham, in the year July 2018 to June 2019 (including the month April 2019), there were:

a) 44,300 estimated economically active people. The ONS are 95% confident that the economic activity rate lies between 72.7% and 85.1%, with a central estimate of 78.9%. The working age population in this period is 56,200 people.

b) Due to the very small number of people in this local area with these characteristics in the APS sample, these estimates are highly uncertain:

i) This data is not made available by the ONS, due to extreme unreliability of estimates based on a very small sample of people with these characteristics in this year’s APS.

ii) 5,700 who were inactive due to long-term sickness, the ONS are 95% confident that this lies between 31.7% and 64.9% of the working age inactive population, with a central estimate of 48.3%.

c) 43,300 people were estimated to be employed. The ONS are 95% confident that the employment rate lies between 70.6% and 83.4%, with a central estimate of 77%.