§ Mr. BENNETTasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the cost entailed on the State by the existence of health and un- employment funds, by Old Age Pensions and by unemployment grants, taking the last 12 months as a basis; and whether the State accumulated in the period mentioned any reserves from either of the two Insurance Funds; and, if so, of what amount?
653W
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe cost, partly estimated, which will fall on the State for the year ending the 31st March, including cost of administration, is as follows:
£ Health Insurance Scheme 8,045,700 Unemployment Insurance Scheme 13,202,000 Old Age Pensions 25,810,000 Unemployment Grants 6,761,100 £53,818,800 In addition, loans totalling £1,417,000 were made to local and Poor Law authorities in connection with unemployment relief. The total of the outstanding loans made by the State to the Unemployment Insurance Fund stood at £10,350,000 on the 1st April, 1924, and, it is estimated, will have been reduced to approximately £8,000,000 on the 31st March. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.
§ Mr. CECIL WILSONasked the Minister of Health the amounts paid for unemployment relief during each of the years 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1924?
§ Mr. N. CHAMBERLAINThe amount of domiciliary Poor Law relief in money or kind given in England and Wales to persons ordinarily engaged in some regular occupation and their dependants was:
Year ended December: £ 1920 (estimated) … 450,000 1921 (estimated) … 5,800,000 1922 (approx.) … 10,900,000 1923 … 7,465,096 1924 … 5,359,953 These sums include all domiciliary Poor Law relief in money or kind given to the persons mentioned, whether granted on account of unemployment or for some other reasons, such as, for example, sickness.