§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the additional cost to the Government for each additional man who becomes unemployed, assuming that he has a wife and two children and was previously earning the average industrial wage.
§ Mr. Brittan[pursuant to his reply, 28 July 1981]: Our current estimate remains that given in the reply to the hon. Member on 9 December. An article in February's Economic Progress Report looked at the direct cost to the Exchequer of a typical increase in unemployment, where the characteristics of those becoming unemployed are similar to those already on the register.