§ Mr Bestasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report his estimate of the number of children living in households where at least one adult member is unemployed for 1977, 1979 and the most recent date possible, comparable to the figure provided in his reply of 2 June 1981 to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Cook)—[Official Report, c. 333.]
§ Mrs. ChalkerAs I explained in my reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Cook) on 2 June 1981—[Vol. 5, c.333–4]—the information available relates to the number of children for whom a dependency increase of unemployment benefit was being paid at the date when a count was made, or who were included in the calculation of the requirements of an unemployed person getting a supplementary allowance—that is, broadly, those children who were dependent on an unemployed adult.
The latest available figure, which I gave to the hon. Member for Stockport, North (Mr. Bennett) on 11 February 1982—[Vol. 17, c. 452]—based on sample surveys carried out in November and December 1980, is just under three-quarters of a million. The comparable figure for November 1977 was about 650,000, and that for November 1979 was about 450,000.