§ Sir Brandon Rhys Williamsasked the Paymaster General if he will estimate by how much the income maintenance costs of the employment and training measures listed in the letter from the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale (Mr. Lang) to the hon. Member for Kensington, dated 5 June 1986, would be reduced in 1986–87, assuming deductions in the allowances payable of (a) £10 per single person aged 16 years and over and £10 per dependent spouse and (b) £23 per single person aged 16 years and over and £23 per dependent spouse but with no changes to payments under the community programme or the job release scheme.
§ Mr. LeeIt is not possible to estimate the effect of these assumed deductions in allowances for 1986–87. The total cost of allowances paid during this period will not be known until after the end of the financial year. Using the 1985–86 figures quoted in the letter of 5 June 1986 from the then Under-Secretary of State the deductions in the allowances payable referred to would reduce income maintenance costs for each of the relevant schemes by:
Assumed deductions in allowances per single person aged 16 years and over and dependent spouse £ million (a) £10 (b) £23 Adult training 9.00 21.0 YTS1 178.00 409.0 Community1 industry 3.50 8.1 Enterprise1 allowance scheme 25.85 59.4 Employment rehabilitation 1.60 3.6 1There is no additional allowance for dependent spouse. The reductions in income maintenance costs used in the reply have been calculated on the assumption that the assumed deductions from the allowances would have left all other aspects of the scheme, including take up, average survival etc., unchanged.