HC Deb 20 January 1994 vol 235 cc795-6W
Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money was paid by his Department in unemployment benefit in each of the last five years; and what was the average number of people in receipt of unemployment benefit in each of the last five years.

Mr. Burt

The information for the latest five years for which figures are available is in the table:

Unemployment benefit expenditure
£ million
1987–88 1,468
1988–89 1,107
1989–90 733
1990–91 870
1991–92 1,604

Average number of people receiving unemployment benefit
Number
1987–88 815,000
1988–89 600,000
1989–90 375,000
1990–91 425,000
1991–92 675,000

Notes:

1. Amounts of benefit are rounded to the nearest £ million.

2. Numbers of beneficiaries are rounded to the nearest five thousand.