§ Mr. Formanasked the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of the average earnings of (a) all male workers and (b) all male manual workers was represented by unemployment benefit payable to a man with a wife and two dependent children in 1974, 1979 and 1983, respectively.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe figures in respect of April each year when comparable information on benefits and earnings is readily available are shown in the following table.
April 1974 April 1979 *April 1983 (1) Unemployment benefit† for a man with a wife and two dependent children £16.50 £35.20 £52.75 Average gross weekly earnings of full-time male employees aged 21 and over (2) All employees £47.7 £101.4 £167.5 (3) Manual employees £43.6 £93.0 £143.6 (1) as a percentage of (2) 34.6 34.7 31.5 (1) as a percentage of (3) 37.8 37.8 36.7 * The figures for 1983 do not reflect the uprating of benefits in November 1983. Assuming that the earnings in items (2) and (3) rose broadly in line with the monthly average earnings index between April and November, the corresponding percentages for November 1983 would be 32.9 and 38.3 respectively. † Including child benefit to achieve greater comparability between the years as the element included for children in unemployment benefit has been reduced over this period following the replacement of family allowance by child benefit.