HC Deb 08 August 1972 vol 842 cc324-5W
Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services why it would not be practicable to obtain and make available information as to the number of working women in Stoke-on-Trent who have not paid the full insurance stamp in each of the last five years, as to how many of these have become unemployed, and as to what proportion of the total women labour force they were.

Mr. Dean

It would be necessary to examine over 37 million contribution record sheets to identify the numbers of married women in Stoke-on-Trent who have not paid full insurance stamps in each of the last five years. Moreover, there is no record of periods of unemployment for those who did not, in the absence of entitlement to unemployment benefit or credited contributions, register at employment exchanges when not working.