§ Mr. Newtonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would have been the estimated extra revenue in 1976–77 if all unemployment benefit except that paid in respect of children had been treated as earned income for tax purposes.
§ Mr. Robert Sheldon,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 20th June 1977; Vol. 933, c. 324], gave the following answer:
Information on which to base a precise calculation is not available but an estimate for 1976–77 based on expenditure on unemployment benefit in Great Britain, excluding benefits in respect of children, is approximately £160 million.