§ Mr. Craigenasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was spent on unemployment benefit during the last financial quarter for which figures are available compared with the comparable period last year; and what percentages of total public expenditure these figures represent.
§ Mr. Biffen:The following is the information:
In April—June 1980 the cost of unemployment benefit recorded was £217 million.In April—June 1979 the cost of unemployment benefit recorded was £145 million.Expenditure in these two quarters is not strictly comparable because benefits paid in April—June 1980 were at the levels given by the 17½ per cent. uprating in November 1979. Also, the April—June 1979 recorded payments were lower than they might otherwise have been because of the effect of industrial action within the Civil Service.
Estimates of unemployment benefit as a proportion of public expenditure on a quarterly basis are not available. For the year 1979–80 unemployment benefit was less than 1 per cent. of the planning total.