HC Deb 08 July 1992 vol 211 cc225-7W
Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 25 June,Official Report, columns 311–13, whether he will give figures calculated on the same basis as tables 2 and 7 of the departmental survey "An Analysis of Voluntarily Unemployed Claimants" published in 1989, showing the proportion of unemployment benefit claims disqualified in each quarter from 1989 to 1991 and the proportion of disqualified claimants receiving income support from May 1980 to November 1991, with an explanation of the difference between these figures and those given in his answer of 25 June.

Mr. Burt

The information is in the tables. The figures in table 2 of "An Analysis of Voluntary Unemployed Claimants" were limited to disqualifications under section 20 of the Social Security Act 1975, whereas the figure given in table 1 of the answer of 25 June included some disallowances on other grounds. Table 2 of the answer of 25 June differs from table 7 of "An Analysis of Voluntary Unemployed Claimants" in that table 2 contains numbers for all disqualifications and, as footnote 1 explains, some disallowances. Table 7 was based upon the "Half-yearly Analysis of Unemployed Claimants" which is limited to disqualifications on the grounds of misconduct and leaving voluntarily without just cause.

Table 1
Percentage of claims to Unemployment Benefit disqualified by Adjudication Officers under Section 20(1) of the Social Security Act 1975, from 1989 to 1991.
Quarter Percentage disqualified by Adjudication Officers
1989
Q1 8.7
Q2 9.1
Q3 6.4
Q4 8.3
1990
Q1 6.6
Q2 7.3
Q3 5.4
Q4 5.9
1991
Q1 4.7
Q2 5.0
Q3 3.8
Q4 4.6

1. Numbers of disqualifications are based on quarter years derived from three calendar months, while numbers of claims are derived from whole weeks.

2. In any particular quarter, a number of disqualifications could relate to a claim made in a previous quarter.

Source: Departmental Statistics.

Sample: 100 per cent.

Table 2
Percentage of unemployed claims disqualified because of misconduct and leaving voluntarily and in receipt of Supplementary Allowance/Income Support 1980–91.
Percentage in receipt of Supplementary Allowance/Income Support
May 1980 42.4
November 1980 44.2
May 1981
November 1981
February 1982 42.2
Percentage in receipt of Supplementary Allowance/Income Support
May 1982 47.1
November 1982 41.9
May 1983 44.8
November 1983 44.2
May 1984
November 1984 42.0
May 1985 38.4
November 1985 42.4
May 1986 46.9
November 1986 45.4
May 1987 58.9
November 1987 56.2
May 1988 51.5
November 1988 57.1
May 1989 65.7
November 1989 64.5
May 1990 68.8
November 1990 66.4
May 1991 72.0
November 1991 72.5

Source: Half yearly Analysis of Unemployed Claimants, Sample Size 5 per cent.

Notes:

1. Figures for May 1981, November 1981 and May 1984 are not available due to industrial action.

2. Income Support replaced Supplementary Allowance from April 1988.

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