§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will (a) estimate the expected total receipts to the National Insurance Fund from national insurance contributions including payments in lieu of contributions for 1975–76 and each subsequent year until 1979–80 in 1975 prices and (b) express these figures as a percentage of the estimated expenditure on national insurance benefits for each of these years.
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§ Mr. MeacherIn 1975–76 contribution receipts of the United Kingdom National Insurance Funds, including payments in lieu of contributions, are estimated to be £6,335 million, which represents about 90 per cent. of the estimated expenditure on benefits. In 1976–77 the receipts are estimated by the Government Actuary, on the two alternative assumptions described in paragraph 6 of his Report on the Social Security (Contributions, Re-Rating) Order 1975 (Cmnd. 6275), at £7,470 million or £7,410 million respectively—these are in cash terms, not at 1975 prices—but these figures cannot be expressed as percentages of estimated benefit expenditure in advance of the settlement of this year's uprating. Assuming that, for 1976–77 and subsequent years, contribution rates provide a small excess of income over outgo, contribution receipts would continue at first to represent a proportion in the region of 90 per cent. of benefit expenditure, and rather less in 1978–79 and later years.