§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the unemployed have failed to qualify for the unemployment benefit due to them exhausting their right to 12 months' benefit in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe information is not available.
§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of trends in the proportion of the unemployed who failed to qualify for national insurance unemployment benefit; if he will list the main reasons for the failure for claimants to have a full contributory record; what significant changes over time he has identified in the causes for failure to gain full contribution records; and if he will divide these data into information about men and women claimants.
§ Mr. Roger EvansStatistics covering the reasons why men and women fail to qualify for unemployment benefit due to a lack of national insurance contributions are not kept. The main reasons for an insufficient contribution record in the relevant tax years include: non-payment of class 1 contributions due to long-term unemployment and/or sickness; self-employment; and periods spent outside the labour market.