asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons (a) in England and (b) in Wales have been denied unemployment benefit but subsequently have succeeded in obtaining benefit following a favourable decision by a local national insurance tribunal, for the last convenient period for which statistics are available.
Separate figures for England and Wales are not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, in Great Britain in the year ending 30 September 1979—the latest available date—2,584 of the 16,370 appeals from unemployment benefit claimants to a national insurance local tribunal were decided in favour of the claimant.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the reasons why persons who are unemployed at a particular time may not be entitled to unemployment benefit; and how many persons he estimates to be covered by each reason (a) in England and (b) in Wales.
The main reasons why unemployed people may not be entitled to unemployment benefit, or may be disqualified for receiving it, are set out in the following table, which also shows the number of claimants in Great Britain who were not in receipt of benefit on 10 May 1979—the latest available date—for these reasons. Comparable figures for England and Wales are not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
| Reason for non-payment of unemployment benefit | Numbers of claimants (Great Britain) |
| Waiting days not yet completed | 3,600 |
| Flat rate benefit exhausted | 332,300 |
| Flat rate benefit entitlement not yet determined | 121,000 |
| Claimant failed to satisfy the contribution conditions | 179,000 |
| Claimant voluntarily left his employment without just cause | 8,200 |
| Claimant lost his employment through his misconduct | 2,600 |
| Claimant received a payment in lieu of notice or remuneration | 600 |
| Other reasons | 7,400 |
| Source:5 per cent. sample of claimants to unemployment benefit or credits. | |