§ Mr. Wardellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report for each November since 1950 the value of unemployment benefit for (a) a single person and (b) a married couple as a percentage of average earnings for male manual workers in Wales.
§ Mr. RossiInformation on average earnings in Wales is not available for years before 1970. The following table gives figures for the months of subsequent benefit upratings, since comparisons at other dates can be misleading. The figures are based on average earnings for male manual workers in Wales, derives from the new earnings survey for April each year, by interpolation, using the Department of Employment's monthly indices of average earnings in Great Britain. Figures for average earnings in November 1982 are of course not yet available.84W
Percentage of average earnings of male manual workers Unemployment Benefit for Single person Married couple September 1971 19.6 31.7 October 1972 18.5 29.9 October 1973 18.0 29.2 July 1974 18.5 30.0 April 1975 17.5 28.4 November 1975 17.9 29.0 November 1976 18.5 29.9 November 1977 19.3 31.2 November 1978 17.9 28.9 November 1979 17.8 28.8 November 1980 17.5 28.3 November 1981 17.2 27.8
§ Mr. Wardellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report for each November since 1950, the value of unemployment benefit for (a) a single person and (b) a married couple as a percentage of average earnings for male married workers.
§ Mr. RossiI refer the hon. Member to table 5.3 of the Abstract of Statistics for Index of Retail Prices, Average Earnings, Social Security Benefits and Contributions, June 1982 edition, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. That table gives, among other things the single person's and married couple's benefit rates as a percentage of average earnings of male manual workers. The figures are given for the months in which benefits were uprated—November for each year from 1975 onwards—as comparisons at other dates can be misleading and unhelpful. The figures shown for November 1981 were provisonal, and figures of 17.2 per cent. and 27.8 per cent. respectively, may now be substituted for them. Average earnings for November 1982 are of course not yet known.