§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of people, in the period 10 December 1989 to 11 January 1990, who have been excluded from unemployment benefit by the new £43 weekly earnings rule.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardI refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 21 December 1989 at columns404–5 which gave our estimate of the numbers who will lose unemployment benefit. Figures of the number of disallowances of unemployment benefit are not yet available.
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of people between 10 December 1989 and 11 January 1990 who have been excluded from the unemployment total by the new £43 limit on weekly pay introduced on 10 December 1989.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardAnyone working and earning in a week at least the amount of the lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions will have any claim to unemployment benefit in that week disallowed. Such people are not excluded from the unemployment count and will be included in it if they continue to register as unemployed.