§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total cost of administering benefits to the unemployed in cash terms and expressed as a percentage of benefit expenditure in each year since 1979.
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe available information is set out in the table. The proportion of the administrative cost of income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit, social fund loans, and other benefits attributable to the unemployed is not available.
Administrative cost of unemployment benefit £ million As a percentage of unemployment benefit expenditure 1979–80 74 11.3 1980–81 120 9.4 1981–82 142 8.3 1982–83 132 8.8 1983–84 132 8.8 1984–85 133 8.4 1985–86 160 10.1 1986–87 179 10.3 1987–88 166 11.3 1988–89 172 15.5 1989–90 176 24.0 1990–91 182 20.9 1991–92 322 20.1 1992–93 269 15.3 1993–941 — — 1 Figures for 1993–94 are not yet available.