§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Employment if, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk North, Official Report, 21 July, c. 11, he will give the net cost of (a) employing all registered unemployed at a weekly rate of £50, after taking account of increased revenues from national insurance and income tax and deducting the estimated saving in social security, tax refunds, rate and rent rebates and all such national and local government benefits, and (b) that estimated proportion of the unemployed who are capable of normal work and who seriously intend to work; and if he will compare these figures with the current total expenditure on unemployment benefit and all other national and local benefits, grants and subsidies paid to the unemployed.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI regret that it is not possible to add to the information given in my reply on 21 July.—[Vol. 980, c. 11.] Nor is there any firm evidence on which to base even broad estimates of the proportions of registered unemployed who may be considered unemployed either through lack of capacity or application, or of the numbers who are not seriously intending to work.
§ Mr. Ray Powellasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total increase in unemployment from May 1979 to the latest date.
§ Mr. Jim LesterBetween 10 May 1979 and 10 July 1980 the number of people116W registered as unemployed in the United Kingdom seasonally adjusted and excluding school leavers, increased by 299,600.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Employment further to his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk North. Official Report, 21 July, column 11, if he will recalculate the net cost of employing all the unemployed, assuming that the average benefit payments saved are £26.50 per week in the light of the figures given in the Official Report, 18 July, column 742.
§ Mr. Jim LesterOn the assumption that the average benefits were £26.50 per week per person, the annual cost saving on benefits would be £2,099 million—all ages—and £1,959 million—aged 18 and over. The net costs at different levels of wages would then be:
All ages 18 and over £ £ £45 433 million 396 million £50 631 million 580 million £55 829 million 765 million £60 1027 million 948 million