HC Deb 10 July 1985 vol 82 cc464-5W
Mr. John Mark Taylor

asked 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 Clark

The 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 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