§ Mr. John Pageasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT for each year since 1964 the total of supplementary benefit payments to strikers and their families after returning to work.
§ Sir K. JosephThe information is as follows:
Post-dispute Payments of Supplementary Benefit Amount Year £ 1964 … … … 3,710 1965 … … … 64,300 1966 … … … 22,210 1967 … … … 113.830 1968 … … … 80,803 1969 … … … 668,497 1970 … … … 888,802 These figures are not comprehensive as they relate only to larger disputes for which special records were kept.
§ Mr. John Pageasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of supplementary benefit payments to strikers' dependants during trade disputes, the average payment made, and the cost of such payments in 1970.
§ Sir K. JosephDuring 1970 a total of 233,513 payments, amounting to £1,445,912, were made for the dependants of men involved in disputes; the average payment to each family was £6.15.
For purposes of comparison, the corresponding figures for the years 1964–69 were:
238W
Number of payments Cost Average Payment £ £ 1964 … … 11,084 49,413 4.45 1965 … … 12,614 65,763 5.20 1966 … … 22,616 126,134 5.55 1967 … … 62,454 375,330 6.00 1968 … … 56,951 333,722 5.85 1969 … … 124,371 747,141 6.00
§ Mr. John Pageasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT, for 1970, the total cost of payments to strikers themselves during trade disputes.
§ Sir K. JosephDuring 1970, discretionary payments totalling £2,191 were made to persons involved in disputes for their own requirements as opposed to those of their dependants.
For purposes of comparison the corresponding figures for the years 1964–69 were:
Cost of Payments to Strikers themselves £ 1964 … … … 602 1965 … … … 173 1966 … … … 1,454 1967 … … … 1,774 1968 … … … 749 1969 … … … 1,401
§ Miss Quennellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of all strikers' families receive supplementary benefit during industrial disputes.
§ Sir K. JosephSupplementary benefit is very rarely paid during strikes lasting less than two weeks, which constitute some 90 per cent. of all strikes. A rough estimate made by the Donovan Commission showed that in 1962–66 about 8.4 per cent. of the average yearly number of workers involved in strikes lasting more than two weeks received supplementary benefit for their families. The comparable figure for 1967–69 is 17.7 per cent. It has been estimated that in 1967–69 less than 2.5 per cent. of strikers received supplementary benefit for their families during strikes.
§ Mr. Spenceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give details of the amount of supplementary benefit paid during and after the Ford strike of spring, 1969, the coal strike of autumn, 1969, and the dock strike of summer, 1970.
§ Sir K. JosephFollowing is the information requested:
Payments during dispute Payments after dispute £ £ Ford … Spring 1969 103,641 78,613 Coal industry Autumn 1969 147,368 441,775 Docks … Summer 1969 49,883 142,447