§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish figures showing the weekly income from 187W unemployment and other benefits for an unemployed married man with two children, who had been earning average wages, from the date of sacking until the exhaustion of benefit; and what his income would be after exhaustion of benefit.
§ Mr. O'MalleyThe information is given in the table below. This does not include entitlement to supplementary
Benefit Entitlement in 1st week of unemployment Week 2 Weeks 3–28 Weeks 29–52 Week 53 onwards £ £ £ £ £ Flat-rate unemployment benefit 11.75 23.50 23.50 23.50 — Earnings-related supplement (ERS) — — 9.75 — — Family allowance 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 1.50 Total 13.25 25.00 34.75 25.00 1.50 The following assumptions have been made—
The contribution and other conditions for unemployment benefit are satisfied, and the rates of unemployment benefit are those applicable from November 1975.
No payment in lieu of notice was made on termination of employment.
Benefit was not payable for the first three days of unemployment ("waiting days").
In calculating ERS it has been assumed that throughout the relevant tax year 1974–75 weekly earnings were £48.63, the figure of average earnings of full-time male manual workers at the mid-point—October 1974—of that tax year.
188W
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS AT 3RD NOVEMBER 1975 WHO HAVE EXHAUSTED FLAT-RATE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT Standard Region Males benefit exhausted Percentage of total registered unemployed Per cent. All Persons benefit exhausted Percentage of total registered unemployed Per cent. Great Britain … … 159,770 14.8 173,146 16.1 South-East … … 22,953 9.5 25,196 10.4 East Anglia … … 3,499 12.5 3,775 13.5 South-West … … 11,161 12.7 11,994 13.6 West Midlands … … 12,899 11.6 14,208 12.8 East Midlands … … 9,533 15.7 10,311 16.9 Yorkshire and Humberside 15,381 15.1 16,430 16.1 North-West … … 30,094 18.0 32,235 19.2 Northern … … 19,870 22.6 21,370 24.3 Wales … … 11,199 16.1 12,005 17.2 Scotland … … 23,181 18.9 25,622 20.9 benefit, which would depend on the family's other resources, their financial commitments such as rent, and the children's ages. As an illustration, however, if his children were aged 3 and 8 and a rent of £6 a week was payable, an unemployed man would normally be entitled to have his income brought up to £30.60 in any week in which it was less than that.
§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many insured males in Scotland have now exhausted their right to unemployment benefit; if she will express this as a percentage of the total unemployed in Scotland; and if she will publish a table giving similar figures for each of the other planning regions of the United Kingdom;
(2) how many insured persons in Scotland have now exhausted their right to unemployment benefit; if she will express this as a percentage of the total unemployed in Scotland; and if she will publish a table giving similar figures for each of the United Kingdom planning regions.
§ Mr. O'MalleyI regret that information is not held in the form requested, but it is available as follows: