HC Deb 11 June 1979 vol 968 cc116-7W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the savings, at current rates of pensions and benefits, if the level of unemployment and the number of pensioners in the second half of the current year are at the level of (a) 1974, (b) 1970 and (c) 1964.

Mr. Prentice

On the assumption that the numbers of persons unemployed and receiving retirement and supplementary pensions were at the levels of the earlier years shown below, the estimated savings, at current benefit rates, in the second half of 1979–80 would be:

  1. (a) 1964–65—£1,700 million
  2. (b) 1970–71—£900 million
  3. (c) 1974–75—£600 million.