§ Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the aggregate cost to public funds of supplementary benefits paid to the families of persons who withdrew their labour in pursuance of an industrial dispute in 1964 and in 1969, respectively; and what was the percentage change between the two figures.
§ Mr. O'MalleyNational assistance payments to the dependants of persons involved in trade disputes during the disputes totalled just under £50,000 in 1964. The comparable supplementary benefit figure for 1969 is £747,000, an increase of 1,400 per cent. ignoring the effect of scale rate increases. Such figures fluctuate widely from year to year as will be seen by the fact that between 1953 and 1955 there was an increase of 1,300 per cent.