§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the extra net cost of raising unemployment benefit to the same level as invalidity pension after the first six months of unemployment and paying it at this level so long as unemployment lasts; how many extra people would be covered by making the benefit open-ended; and what would be the effect of these measures on the number of unemployed claiming supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. OrmeThe postulated changes would cost an estimated £100 million net for 1977–78. About 210,000 persons currently in receipt of unemployment benefit would receive an increase in benefit, and a further 320,000, who would otherwise have exhausted their entitlement to unemployment benefit, would continue to
Region 1975 1976 1977 (£000) (£000) (£000) Northern … … … … … … 995 1,385 1,447 Yorkshire and Humberside … … … 1,210 1,942 2,003 East Midlands and East Anglia … … … 1,165 1,706 1,772 London. North … … … … … 1,739 2,320 2,395 London, South … … … … … 1,525 2,019 2,290 London, West … … … … … 1,329 1,920 1,961 South-West … … … … … 1,202 1721 1,941 West Midlands … … … … … 1,916 2,504 2,558 North-West (Manchester) … … … 1,389 1,658 1,492 North-West (Merseyside) … … … 1,224 1,563 1,469 Wales … … … … … … 994 1,399 1,554 Scotland … … … … … … 2,492 3,886 4,953 Northern Ireland … … … … … 387 340 960 United Kingdom Total … … … 17,567 24,363 26,795