§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, further to his reply dated 24 February, Official Report, c. 414, concerning a spending bonus to those on social security, whether he will publish in the Official Report the numbers of long-term unemployed in each category and the assumed average amount of benefit per week in cash terms.
§ Mr. NewtonThe cost of providing a bonus equal to two weeks benefit for all social security beneficiaries was obtained by dividing the total cost of social security benefits in 1982–83 by 26. As many beneficiaries receive more than one benefit an overall average weekly cost cannot be obtained.
For part (b) of the reply the bonus assumed to be paid to those registered unemployed for more than a year was £36–63 per week and the numbers at 1 January 1982 were:
Unemployed for one complete year 581,640 Unemployed for two complete years 135,350 Unemployed for more than three years 145,550
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the net cost at 1981–82 benefit rates of extending entitlement to invalid care allowance to married women; and how many women would benefit.
§ Mr. RossiIt is estimated that about 110,000 married women would become entitled, but, because of offsets of other benefits, it is not possible to say in how many cases the family as a whole would gain. For this reason I regret that I cannot add to the answer about the net cost which I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Sir D. Price) on 24 November 1981.—[Vol. 13, c. 368.]
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the net cost at 1981–82 benefit rates of extending entitlement to non-contributory invalidity pensions to married women on the same basis as it is currently paid to men and single women and paying 130W it (a) at its current rate and (b) at a rate equivalent to the contributory invalidity benefit; and how many women would benefit.
§ Mr. RossiIt is estimated that it would cost £250 million to extend entitlement to non-contributory invalidity pension to married women on the same basis as it is paid to men and single women; and £380 million if the rate was raised to the level of invalidity pension. Both these figures are net of savings from dependancy increases, but information on offsetting savings from supplementary benefit is not available. Some 240,000 women would benefit from such a change.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of persons entitled to a non-contributory invalidity pension but not claiming it; and what would be the net cost at 1981–82 benefit rates, of raising the non-contributory invalidity pension to the level of the contributory invalidity pension and paying it (a) to all those currently claiming and (b) to all those currently entitled to claim noncontributory invalidity pension.
§ Mr. Marksasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, assuming that price rises between November 1981 and November 1982 are as forecast, what will be the loss or savings to the Exchequer in social security benefits payment from November 1979 to November 1983 as a result of inaccurate forecasting in that period and subsequent adjustment of benefits.
§ Mr. NewtonI shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.