§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many disabled people and people with a long-term illness in work he expects to pay (i) no contributions and (ii) contributions of less than 25 times the lower earnings limit in each of the next five years; and if he will give this figure as a proportion of the total number of this group in work. [85510]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe only information available is based on the Family Resources Survey for 1997–98, covering Great Britain, and shows that about 550,000 people with a long-term illness, disability, or infirmity were working but not paying national insurance contributions. This represents about 12 per cent. of the total number of this group in work.