§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will detail the number of people over the past 10 years who have been disqualified from unemployment benefit for leaving their job without good cause or for misconduct; and if he will give the number of claimants in each of these years appealing against the decision and the number and percentage of such claimants successful in getting the original decision overturned.
§ Mr. PortilloThe numbers of people disqualified for receiving unemployment benefit under section 20(1)(a) of the Social Security Act 1975 (dismissal for misconduct or voluntary leaving without just cause) are shown in the following table:
246W
Leaving Voluntarily Misconduct 1977 429,356 138,944 1978 441,281 129,996 1979 409,498 120,819 1980 344,403 133,669
Leaving Voluntarily Misconduct 1981 241,074 102,196 1982 251,280 95,323 1983 257,289 93,656 1984 276,235 93,570 1985 295,041 97,992 1986 310,976 98,938 1987 143,895 48,906 Notes:
1.Figures for 1984 have not previously been available but have now been clerically assembled.
2.The 1987 figures are for January-June inclusive.
Prior to 1984, no statistics were kept on the number of appeals made against these disqualifications, and I regret that most figures thereafter could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the following figures are available from a separate special exercise for the period 1 January to 31 March 1987.
Appeals Heard and Decided Appellant Successful Leaving voluntarily 1,002 426(42.5 per cent) Misconduct 471 259(55 per cent)