§ 36. Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how benefits in real terms for the long-term unemployed will have varied from November 1976 to November 1984.
§ Dr. BoysonBetween November 1976 and November 1983, the latest date for which information is available, the real value of the supplementary benefit scale rates for unemployed claimants aged under 60 and for dependent children aged 5 to 10 and 13 to 15 increased by between154W 5.5 and 6.0 per cent. For dependent children aged under 5 and aged 11 and 12 the increase was about 28 per cent. For male claimants aged 60 or over the real value of the scale rates increased by between 32 and 35 per cent.: in November 1976 they were entitled only to the ordinary scale rates but in November 1983 they were automatically entitled to the long-term scale rates.
The increases referred to above are measured by reference to the increases in the retail prices index less housing costs, which are provided for separately for supplementary benefit claimants.