§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence there is from his Department's cohort study of unemployed men about the take-up of means-tested benefit by men in work.
§ Mr. NewtonThe Department of Health and Social Security's cohort study of the unemployed looked at a national sample of men who joined the unemployment register in the autumn of 1978. The sample cannot be taken as representative of working men generally in 1978 or now.
Information about the extent to which men in the sample took up some of the means-tested benefits to which they appear to have been entitled when they were last in work will be published in due course, as part of the continuing series of working papers and "Employment Gazette" articles on the study. From the information available, it seems that 9 per cent. of those with dependent children were eligible for family income supplement, 28 per cent. of those with school-age children were eligible for free school meals and 36 per cent. of local authority tenants were eligible for rent or rate rebates. Amongst those apparently eligible, the proportions reporting receipt 104W of these three benefits were respectively 17 per cent., 34 per cent. and 20 per cent. It should be noted, however, that the numbers found to be eligible for benefits were small and that the cohort study was not designed as a take-up study.