§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all the national insurance and other benefits which are raised each year in line with the cost of living or earnings, together with their estimated cost to public funds in the current year; and if he will state the annual cost of the increase in each 645W of the last three years in £ sterling and as a percentage of the total increase in public spending in the relevant year.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettFollowing is the information:
£ million 1977–78 National Insurance Benefits Retirement pension 6,204 Widows benefit 484 Guardians allowance 2 Unemployment benefit 597 Invalidity benefit 569 Sickness benefit 560 Maternity benefit 56 Industrial injury benefits: Injury benefit 46 Disablement benefit 178 Death benefit 26 Other benefits (under the Old Cases Act) 5 Other Benefits War pensions 297 Attendance allowance 152 Invalid care allowance 8 Old persons retirement pension 36 Non contributory invalidity pension 53 Supplementary pension* 546 Supplementary allowance* 1,245 Family income supplement* 22 * These benefits have in practice been uprated broadly in line with earnings or prices though there is no statutory requirement to this effect. The increase in total expenditure on those benefits in cash and as a percentage of the increase in total public expenditure at outturn prices, excluding debt interest, in each of the last three financial years was as follows:
£ million per cent. 1974–75 1,319 13 1975–76 2,160 21 1976–77 1,658 32