HC Deb 24 February 1982 vol 18 cc414-5W
Mr. Wm. Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will seek to make the necessary changes in legislation to have national insurance contributions credited in the period between disallowance of benefit and the determination of any appeal.

Mrs. Chalker

Credits are already available for weeks of proved incapacity or unemployment, including any between a claim for benefit and its determination, ever. if the claim is disallowed for other reasons. If an appeal against disallowance is upheld, credits are awarded for the period covered by the claim if they had not already been so. We have no plans to change these arrangements.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost in 1982–83 of (a) giving bonus equal to two weeks' benefit and (b) giving all who have been unemployed for more than a year a bonus of four weeks' benefit for each complete year of unemployment in the previous five years.

Mrs. Chalker

  1. (a) about £1,150 million.
  2. (b) The cost of paying the bonus to those registered as unemployed in January 1982 would be:
£ million
Unemployed for one complete year 85
Unemployed for two complete years 40
Unemployed for more than three years *65
190

* These numbers cannot be further split and the cost is on the basis that they all receive a bonus of 12 weeks' benefit.