§ Lord McCarthyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the annual expenditure on unemployment benefit from 1948 to the latest available year expressed in money terms and as a percentage change on the previous year.
§ Baroness TrumpingtonThe information requested is given in the table:
Financial year Expenditure £millon Percentage change from previous year 1948–49 15.2 — 1949–50 19.2 + 26.3 1950–51 17.0 - 11.5 1951–52 14.8 - 12.9 1952–53 26.8 + 81.1 1953–54 22.2 - 17.2 1954–55 15.7 - 29.3 1955–56 15.7 — 1956–57 20.9 + 33.1 1957–58 25.4 + 21.5 1958–59 49.4 + 94.5 1959–60 41.9 - 15.2 1960–61 30.2 - 27.9 1961–62 36.3 + 20.2 1962–63 64.5 + 77.7 1963–64 64.6 + 0.2 1964–65 44.9 - 30–5 1965–66 49.2 + 9.6 1966–67 78.3 + 59.1 1967–68 121.7 + 55.4 1968–69 123.3 + 1.3 1969–70 127.1 + 3.1 1970–71 150.4 + 18.3 1971–72 239.4 + 59.2 1972–73 209.1 - 12.7 1973–74 174.1 - 16.7 1974–75 214.1 + 23.0 1975–76 454.4 + 112.2 1976–77 558.8 + 23.0 1977–78 628.8 + 12.5 1978–79 631.9 + 0.5 1979–80 652.9 + 3.3 1980–81 1,280.5 + 96–1 1981–82 1,701.5 + 32.9 1982–83 1,499.6 - 11.9 1983–84 1,496.5 - 0.2