Mr. John Mark Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing for each year since the inception of the job release scheme the yearly increments under the scheme, the changes in tax allowance under the scheme, the change in average adult earnings, the change in the level of the retirement pension and the rate of inflation.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe information is as follows:
Weekly increase in untaxed job release increase allowance Gross weekly increase in taxable job release allowance Higher rate Lower rate Higher rate Lower rate £ £ £ £ Month when job release allowance was increased November 1977 — 3.50 — — July 1978 8.50 — — — April 1979 5.00 5.00 — — April 1980 5.50 4.50 13.00 11.50 April 1981 5.00 4.00 6.00 4.50 April 1982 4.50 3.50 5.00 4.50 April 1983 2.75 4.20 3.20 2.60 April 1984 2.90 2.30 3.35 2.75 April 1985 2.35 1.95 0.60 1.00 Notes:
1. Job Release Scheme became operational on 1 January 1977.
2. A higher rate of allowance for an applicant's whose spouse's 465W income was less than £11 per week was introduced in July 1978.
3. A taxable allowance for those on the Scheme for more than twelve months was introduced in April 1980. The allowance was set so that, on average, those on the taxable scheme received no less after tax than those on the untaxed scheme.
Level of personal tax allowance Single rate Married rate £ £ Financial year 1976–77 735 1,085 1977–78 945 1,455 1978–79 985 1,535 1979–80 1,165 1,815 1980–81 1,375 2,145 1981–82 1,375 2,145 1982–83 1,565 2,795 1983–84 1,785 2,795 1984–85 2,005 3,155 1985–86 2,205 3,455
Percentage increase in average adult earnings Men aged 21 or over Women aged 18 or over April 1977–78 +13.4 +10.6 April 1978–79 +13.8 +11.7 April 1979–80 +22.8 +25.1 April 1980–81 +12.9 16.0 April 1981–82 +10.0 +8.3 April 1982–83 +8.4 +9.9 April 1983–84 +8.4 +7.0
Change in weekly basic state retirement pension £ November 1979 +2.20 November 1978 +2.00 November 1979 +4.00 November 1980 3.65 November 1981 2.45 November 1982 3.25 November 1983 1.20 November 1984 +1.75 November 1985 +2.50 Note:
Increases in these pensions become effective in November each year and since November 1983 have been based on the Retail Price Index in the previous May.
Percentage rate of inflation April 1977–1978 7.9 April 1978–1979 10.1 April 1979–1980 21.8 April 1980–1981 12.0 April 1981–1982 9.4 April 1982–1983 4.0 April 1983–1984 5.2 April 1984–1985 6.9