HC Deb 25 February 1999 vol 326 cc431-2W
Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's total expenditure on purchases of(a) vehicles, (b) computers and (c) properties, since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [72811]

Mr. Timms

The information is in the tables.

£
Departmental total
Expenditure on purchases from I May 1997 to 31 March 1998
Vehicles 3, 7,331.67
Computers 16,506,705.25
Properties 0
Expenditure on purchases from 1 April 1998 to 31 January 1999
Vehicles 2,365,947.68
Computers 12,242,485.77
Properties 0

There will be a further group of class 2 contributors who do not currently claim Jobseeker's Allowance, for example because they know that they would not qualify for benefit through either the contribution or income-based route. The figure provided will therefore underestimate the total cost of extending contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) to all class 2 contributors.

Notes:

  1. 1. Estimate based on JSA 1 per cent. sample of claimants, linked to the Lifetime Labour Market Database.
  2. 2. Estimate rounded to nearest £5 million.
  3. 3. Estimate is for Great Britain.