§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the amount received in unemployment benefit after the latest increase for a married person and a single person; what would be the amount if 5 per cent. was added to the benefit; what would be the total sum in unemployment benefit if 5 per cent. was added together with earnings-related supplement on the same average scale as was in operation earlier; and what would be the total change in percentage terms between the present amount and the latter.
§ Mr. RossiThe information requested is as follows:
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Married man with non-working wife Single Person £ £ (1) Unemployment benefit rates from 25 November 1982 40.45 25.00
Married man with non-working wife Single Person £ £ (2) Notional unemployment benefit rates from 25 November 1982 if the 1980 uprating had been at the estimated rate of inflation instead of 5 per cent. less. 42.20 26.10 (3) Amount of earnings-related supplement that the average unemployment benefit recipient *getting the supplement would have received in 1983, if it had been neither reduced nor abolished (estimate) about 11.60 about 11.60 (4) Total of (2) and (3) about 53.80 about 37.70 (5) increase of (4) over (1) about 33 per cent. about 51 per cent. * Before the earnings-related supplement was abolished, only about one in five of unemployed claimants was receiving it at any one time.