§ Mr. Gouldasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is satisfied that the unemployment statistics reflect adequately the position of women aged between 56 years of age and 60 years of age and men aged between 61 years of age and 65 years of age who are unemployed but have exhausted their unemployment benefit; and if he proposes any change.
§ Mr. John GrantThe latest available results of the twice-yearly analysis of the unemployed by age and entitlement to benefit relate to May 1975. They show appreciable numbers in the groups referred to, namely, 36,300 men aged 60 to 64, and 2,800 women aged 55 to 59, who had exhausted benefit, of whom 14,500 5W men and 1,600 women were receiving supplementary benefit and 21,800 men and 1,200 women were not receiving supplementary benefit. Since April 1975, it is likely that the numbers registering may have been reduced on account of new arrangements arising from the Social Security Act 1973, whereby it is possible for men over 60 and women over 55 who are unemployed to obtain a maximum State pension without needing to pay national insurance contributions or receive credits by registering as unemployed during the last four to five years of their working lives. I do not propose any change.