Where to ask a political question?

You could try writing to the Minister of the department and you should get a reply - I did once years ago and got a very full explanatory reply on a question to do with pensions.

I'm not sure if there is anything in this report, I haven't read it through myself. The Statistics Office is often a useful source of reports.
file:///C:/Users/patri/Downloads/unemploymentandtheclaimantcounttcm77327614tcm77387938.pdf

I found this on the Evolve Politics site, apparently quoting from the ONS, Gracesgran:

"The employed are defined as those aged 16 or over, who are in employment if they did at least one hour of work in the reference week (as an employee, as self-employed, as unpaid workers in a family business, or as participants in government-supported training schemes), and those who had a job that they were temporarily away from (for example, if they are on holiday)."

Evolve goes on to say:

"Secondly, this is how they define unemployment:

"The unemployed are defined as those aged 16 or over, who are without work, have actively sought work in the last four weeks and are available to start work in the next two weeks; or are out of work but have found a job and are waiting to start it within the next two weeks."

"And then there is the last category – the ‘economically inactive’, which is defined by the ONS as:

"those aged 16 or over who are neither in employment nor unemployed. This group includes, for example, all those who are looking after a home or family, have a long-term illness or disability which prevents them working, or are retired."

Yes, that's a partial extract from the ONS guide to labour market statistics.

The full extract is shown at paragraph 3 here

A Guide to Labour Market Statistics

Thank you so much all of you. I looks to me as if this system i.e., the counting of the employed rather than the registration, in some form or other of those who are unemployed, may have been in place since 1971.

I have to say that one hour or work in a week seems a very broad idea of employment to me although I suppose there are some who can earn enough to live on in an hour. The big change, and what may have affected the count would seem to me to be the huge extension of zero hours contracts.

fullfact.org/economy/what-unemployment/

manipulated figures have been happening for a long time...how anyone thinks one hour a week is "employment" is beyond my comprehension.All it does is make the unemployment figures look good and SOME of the people are fooled into thinking the government is doing a great job!!

The number of hours has changed quite drastically. It was never the case that one hour's work a week counted as being employed in 1971.

I always go to Fullfact first.

fullfact.org/economy/facts-about-zero-hour-contracts/

If you want to ask your MP or any department a question, go on this site.

www.theyworkforyou.com/about/

I have just written to defra committee about the fact that they are going to remove animal sentience from their new bill, after we were promised it would be included by Gove, so it was not voted on in the Brexit bill.
He lied.

Anyway, most of the MPs on the committee have sent back replies saying they are unlikely to respond as I m not in their constituency.
So first, contact your constituency MP.

Jen I am probably being blind but I can't see, in the fullfact article, anywhere where they are saying we counted differently (more than 1 hour) and when the change happened.

It seems to me that a more important statistic would be what percentage of people can live on what they earn in a week, without needing additional benefits.

I think I will write to my useless MP - he got himself on PMQs last week.

It's in one of the links on the fullfact site. I can't find it at the moment. However it does say that because of universal credit things are changing all the time.

Your last statistic would probably be found on the Joseph Rowntree website, about minimum income standard.

www.lboro.ac.uk/research/crsp/mis/

The Living Wage Foundation provide all sorts of statistics.

www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage

www.livingwage.org.uk/sites/default/files/Closing%20the%20gap%20-%20final%20report%20of%20the%20Living%20Wage%20Commission.pdf

Talking about benefits and the JRF, how about these for statistics on poverty?

Child Poverty Rate (By Government):
1974-79 Labour: 14% to 13% (-1%)
1979-1997 Tory: 13% to 33% (+20%)
1997-2010 Labour: 33% to 27% (-6%)
2010-2017 Tory: 27% to 37%* (+10%)
(* IFS Prediction)

Vote Tory = Increased Child Poverty

Have you heard about Stagecoach? It doesn't want to continue with the North East franchise. It will go bust within months as it got its sums wrong!

That doesn't surprise me. The government is putting people out of business daily. If they understood business we might all have stood a chance as it is I just wonder how much they will have ruined by the time they are removed.