§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing the unemployment benefit rate for a couple and for a couple with two children as a proportion of average male full-time earnings plus average female part-time earnings for each year since 1970.
§ Mr. RossiThe information is given in the following table. Figures are given for the months in which benefit upratings took place, because comparisons at other dates can be misleading. The table begins with September 1971 because there was no uprating in 1970.
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Unemployment benefit* as percentage of average earnings† Married couple Married couple with two children September 1971 39.5 47.2 October 1972 36.4 44.1
Unemployment benefit* as percentage of average earnings† Married couple Married couple with two children October 1973 34.2 41.9 July 1974 34.9 42.8 April 1975 31.9 39.1 November 1975 31.1 38.4 November 1976 31.7 39.4 November 1977 33.7 41.1 November 1978 31.5 37.6 November 1979 29.8 35.7 November 1980 27.6 32.7 November 1981‡ 25.2 29.9 November 1982‡ 19.5 24.0 Notes: * Standard rate unemployment benefit and earnings-related supplement based on average male full-time earnings, plus dependency additions and family allowance/child benefit for the couple with children. † Estimated average gross earnings of male full-time workers plus those of female part-time workers, in all occupations, derived from the New Earnings Survey by interpolation/extrapolation using the Department of Employment's monthly indices of average earnings. Family allowance/child benefit has been added for the couple with children. ‡ Figures for 1981 and 1982 are provisional.