§ 46. Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much was paid out weekly by his Department in supplementary benefit to, respectively, strikers and dependants during the recent miners' strike inclusively from 8th February till a fortnight after the end of the strike, in respectively, the Northern, Yorkshire-Humberside, East Midlands, East Anglia, London South, South West, Wales, West Midlands, North West Manchester, North West Merseyside and Scottish Regions.
§ Sir K. JosephThe information is as Table (see cols.341–342).
§ Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost to public funds of supplementary benefits paid to those involved in the British Leyland strike at Bathgate and their dependants, and of payments made after the resumption of work, and also of the administrative costs of making these payments to suit the convenience of recipients.
§ Mr. DeanThe amount paid up to 14th March in the dispute at British Leyland, Bathgate, was £11 to strikers themselves and £33,219 for dependants. Amounts paid after resumption of work are not yet known, nor is the administrative cost of paying supplementary benefit in this dispute.
341W342W
During the post-strike period (weeks ending 7th and 14th March) the amounts paid to former strikers and their dependants were not recorded separately. Week ended 8th February Week ended 15th February Week ended 22nd February Week ended 29th February Week ended 7th March Week ended 14th March Region Strikers Dependants Strikers Dependants Strikers Dependants Strikers Dependants Strikers and Dependants Strikers and Dependants Total £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Northern … 7,893 176,134 8,895 183,992 9,544 186,754 5,059 116,527 124,459 15,337 834,594 Yorkshire and Humberside … 12,419 276,381 14,110 277,674 14,814 273,091 5,321 107,868 83,921 1,509 1,067,108 East Midlands and East Anglia … 1,975 200,682 2,593 238,570 4,030 223,358 3,789 139,585 75,259 3,557 893,398 London South … 59 6,806 76 7,243 113 8,374 109 4,742 14,943 193 42,658 South West … — 1,892 27 1,940 26 1,960 22 2,001 310 34 8,212 Wales … 8,689 123,418 9,135 122,283 9,190 124,373 7,468 108,867 33,808 1,158 548,389 West Midlands … 85 44,506 155 44,686 240 48,380 321 44,172 54,129 Nil 236,674 North West (Manchester) … 262 12,778 329 12,612 398 13,123 67 3,208 2,727 Nil 45,504 North West (Merseyside) … 278 20,079 274 22,218 393 22,042 13 1,825 4,898 317 72,337 Scotland… … 49 57,983 153 59,940 225 61,449 228 61,894 132,578 Nil 374,499 Total … 31,709 920,659 35,747 971,158 38,973 962,904 22,397 590,689 527,032 22,105 4,123,373