HC Deb 20 December 1976 vol 923 cc64-6W
Mr. Woodall

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the annual cost to the National Insurance Fund and to the Supplementary Benefit Commission of 1½ million unemployed.

Mr. Orme

It is estimated that the full year cost of unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit at current rates of benefit, if there were 1½ million unemployed, comprising the wholly unemployed, unemployed school leavers, adult students and persons whose employment is temporarily stopped, would be about £1.3 billion.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list in the Official Report the numbers claiming unemployment benefit and earnings related and supplementary benefit since 1966; and if he will express these details as a percentage of the numbers registered as unemployed;

(2) if he will list in the Official Report the number of unemployed claiming national assistance and supplementary benefit for each year since 1948; and if he will express these details as a percentage of the numbers registered as unemployed;

(3) if he will list in the Official Report the numbers claiming unemployment benefit and national assistance/supplementary benefit since 1948; and if he will express these details as a percentage of the numbers registered as unemployed;

(4) if he will list in the Official Report the numbers claiming unemployment benefit since 1948; and if he will express these details as a percentage of the numbers registered as unemployed.

Mr. Deakins

The available information is given in the following table:

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PERSONS IN RECEIPT OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT AND/OR SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT(1) AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL REGISTERED UNEMPLOYED
Persons registered as unemployed and in receipt of:
Flat-rate unemployment benefit Flat-rate benefit plus earnings-related supplement Supplementary benefit with or
Without supplementary benefit With supplementary benefit with supplementary benefit without unemployment benefit
Year (November) Number (000's) Percentage of total registered unemployed Number (000's) Percentage of total registered unemployed Number (000's) Percentage of total registered unemployed Number (000's) Percentage of total registered unemployed
1948 … … … … 233 71.0 19 5.8 — — 53 16.2
1949 … … … … 217 67.1 30 9.3 — — 66 20.4
1950 … … … … 174 57.6 38 12.6 — — 77 25.5
1951 … … … … 166 57.3 33 11.4 — — 66 22.7
1952 … … … … 233 57.2 59 14.5 — — 102 25.1
1953 … … … … 166 51.4 48 14.9 — — 94 29.1
1954 … … … … 120 45.6 30 11.4 — — 80 30.4
1955 … … … … 104 46.2 20 8.9 — — 61 27.0
1956 … … … … 125 47.1 30 11.3 — — 73 27.6
1957 … … … … 147 46.3 41 13.0 — — 96 30.3
1958 … … … … 268 50.7 66 12.5 — — 151 28.6
1959 … … … … 199 45.9 42 9.7 — — 129 29.7
1960 … … … … 146 41.5 31 8.8 — — 107 30.5
1961 … … … … 173 45.2 29 7.6 — — 103 26.9
1962 … … … … 259 47.5 55 10.0 — — 150 27.5
1963 … … … … 208 43.6 46 9.7 — — 155 32.6
1964 … … … … 146 41.7 26 7.5 — — 111 31.7
1965 … … … … 132 40.7 34 10.5 — — 112 34.5
1966 … … … … 234 48.4 36 7.4 5 1.1 120 24.7
1967 … … … … 245 43.1 64 11.2 9 1.6 192 33.8
1968 … … … … 235 42.3 53 9.5 7 1.2 189 34.1
1969 … … … … 217 38.7 55 9.9 8 1.4 196 35.0
1970 … … … … 243 40.8 52 8.8 6 1.1 201 33.7
1971 … … … … 352 40.9 97 11.3 11 1.2 331 38.5
1972 … … … … 268 33.9 76 9.6 9 1.1 357 45.2
1973 … … … … 155 30.5 36 7.0 7 1.3 228 44.8
1974 … … … … 208 33.7 55 8.9 11 1.8 267 43.2
1975 … … … … 406 37.6 90 8.3 29 2.7 479 44.4
1976* (May) … … … … 446 37.2 110 9.2 31 2.6 554 46.1
* Latest date for which figures are available.
Notes:
(1)Prior to 1966 national assistance.
(2)Figures prior to 1959 are based on a 100 per cent. count of National Assistance Board cases current in December each year. Figures for 1965 are based on a sample inquiry in November.
(3)Figures for 1959 and onwards are based on a 5 per cent. sample of the total registered unemployed.