§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, further to his reply dated 30 April 1982, Official Report, c. 362, concerning the cost of extending the payment of unemployment and earnings related benefit, if he will provide a more up-to-date estimate for 1982–83 and a forecast for 1983–84.
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§ Mr. Rossi[pursuant to his reply, 14 March 1983, c. 50–51]The restoration of the earnings-related supplement on the basis which applied before the Social Security (No. 2) Act 1980, but without the six-months duration limit, for unemployed people only, would have cost the national insurance fund about £¾ billion in 1982–83. The estimate for 1983–84 is nearly £1 billion.