§ Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list in the Official Report the six social security offices in Northern Ireland where unemployment benefit is being paid fortnightly, and show the numbers signing on the unemployed register for the last four weeks of weekly payment of unemployment benefit and the number since, to the latest available date, and also indicate the percentage change.
§ Mr. AlisonThe six social security offices in Northern Ireland where unemployment benefit is being paid fortnightly, on a pilot basis, are Kilkeel, Lisburn, Londonderry, Newtonabbey, Omagh and Shaftesbury Square, Belfast.
Information about the numbers signing on in recent weeks is given below:
Weekly Attendance and Payment Arrangements Only Weeks ending Nos. signing Register 10 January 12,084 17 January 12,025 24 January 12,113 31 January 12,031
Fortnightly Attendance and Payment Arrangements Weeks ending Nos. signing Register 7 February 12,017 14 February 12,098 21 February 12,193 28 February 12,185 6 March 12,249 About 91 per cent. of claimants are taking advantage of the new arrangements. The rise in the numbers of persons signing the unemployment register is attributable to 622W the rise in unemployment in Northern Ireland between January (66,182) and February (66,935).