§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what element and proportion of the estimated 1982–83 outturn figures of social security spending of £32,473 million he attributes to being directly or indirectly related to the prevailing levels of unemployment during 1982–83.
§ Mr. NewtonExpenditure directly related to unemployment—that is payment of unemployment benefit and of supplementary benefit to unemployed persons—is estimated to constitute 15 per cent. of social security spending during 1982–83. It is not possible to ascertain any indirect effects of the prevailing level of unemployment on social security spending.