§ Sir Ralph HowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the annual loss to the Exchequer of unemployed persons in(a) October 1992 and (b) at present, in current prices. [39907]
§ Mr. ForthThe total expenditure on unemployment related benefits in the United Kingdom was £9.3 billion in 1992–93 and is estimated to have been £9.5 billion in 1994–95, the latest year for which figures are available.
§ Sir Ralph HowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the basis for the figures supplied to the Employment Committee by the Employment Department on 18 November 1994, showing the overall cost of unemployment to be £13.2 billion in 1992–93 and £14.3 billion in 1993–94; and if she will give a figure for 1994–95 on the same basis. [41376]
§ Mr. ForthThe figures provided to the Employment Committee were not an estimate of the cost of unemployment, but were simply the total public expenditure on items requested by the Committee. The corresponding figure for 1994–95 is £13.5 billion.