§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claimants have been (a) disqualified from unemployment benefit and (b) suffered a 40 per cent. reduction in their supplementary benefit as a result of leaving their last employment without just cause and of their refusal to take suitable employment, for each year since 1974.
§ Mr. PrenticeFollowing is the information available—to the nearest thousand:
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT DISQUALIFICATIONS Year Left employment without just cause Refused suitable employment without good cause 1974 373,000 10,000 1975 388,000 5,000 1976* 396,000 3,000 1977 439,000 4,000 1978 449,000 4,000 Note: Some of the disqualifications were removed or the period of disallowance reduced on appeal or revision. * Figures for 1976 are estimated owing to industrial action in some unemployment benefit offices during the last quarter of that year. SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT REDUCTIONS
I regret that similar information about supplementary benefit recipients is not available, but an annual sampling inquiry carried out in November shows that on a particular day the following numbers had their benefit reduced for leaving employment without just cause, refusing suitable employment or other
122Wto single strikers, and the number of claimants covered in each group for each year since 1970.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe information requested is as follows:
similar reasons. For the purpose of comparison, information on a similar basis about unemployment benefit disqualifications, which is extracted in the same month but not on the same date, is also given:
Year Supplementary benefit reductions Unemployment benefit disqualifications 1974 22,000 47,000 1975 26,000 73,000 1976* Not available Not available 1977 29,000 58,000 Figures for 1978 are not yet available. * Information not available owing to industrial action in some unemployment benefit offices.