asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish in the Official Report the number of claimants in Wales penalised under the four-week rule for each year during which the rule was in operation.
The number of awards initially limited to four weeks in Wales was as follows:
| 1968 | None |
| 1969 | None |
| 1970 | 2,428 |
| 1971 | 3,380 |
| 1972 | None |
| 1973 | 1,176 |
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claimants in Scotland have been penalised under the four-week rule for each year during which the rule was in operation.
No awards were initially limited to four weeks in Scotland in any of the years 1968 to 1972; 125 were so limited in 1973.
| COMPARISON OF STANDARD RATE OF RETIREMENT PENSION WITH | |||||||||
| GROSS AND NFT AVERAGE EARNINGS* IN WALES | |||||||||
| Retirement pension as a percentage of gross average earnings | Net earnings after deducting tax and national insurance contributions | Retirement pension as a percentage of gross average earnings | |||||||
| Year(October) | Gross average earnings | Single Person | Married Couple | Single Person | Married Couple | Single Person | Married Couple | ||
| £ | Per cent. | Per cent. | £ | £ | Per cent. | Per cent. | |||
| 1961 | … | … | 15·26 | 18·8 | 30·3 | 12·12 | 12·87 | 23·7 | 35·9 |
| 1962 | … | … | 16·20 | 17·7 | 28·5 | 12·78 | 13·53 | 22·5 | 34·2 |
| 1963 | … | … | 16·93 | 19·9 | 32·2 | 13·27 | 14·16 | 25·4 | 38·5 |
| 1964 | … | … | 18·04 | 18·7 | 30·2 | 13·98 | 14·88 | 24·1 | 36·6 |
| 1965 | … | … | 19·30 | 20·7 | 33·7 | 14·62 | 15·58 | 27·4 | 41·7 |
| 1966 | … | … | 20·09 | 19·9 | 32·4 | 15·11 | 16·06 | 26·5 | 40·5 |
| 1967 | … | … | 21·13 | 21·3 | 34·5 | 15·71 | 16·66 | 28·6 | 43·8 |
| 1968 | … | … | 22·91 | 19·6 | 31·9 | 16·87 | 17·82 | 26·7 | 41·0 |
| 1969 | … | … | 24·46 | 18·4 | 29·8 | 17·92 | 18·87 | 25·1 | 38·7 |
| 1970 | … | … | 27·93 | 17·9 | 29·0 | 19·93 | 21·04 | 25·1 | 38·5 |
| 1971 | … | … | 31·10 | 19·3 | 31·2 | 21·81 | 22·91 | 27·5 | 42·3 |
| 1972 | … | … | 35·61 | 19·0 | 30·6 | 26·17 | 27·21 | 25·8 | 40·1 |
| 1973 | … | … | 40·52 | 19·1 | 30·8 | 29·39 | 30·43 | 26·4 | 41·1 |
| 1974 | … | … | 47·55 | 21·0 | 33·6 | 32·95 | 34·48 | 30·3 | 46·4 |
| * Average earnings of male adult, full-time, manual workers in manufacturing and certain other industries as determined by the Department of Employment's regular October inquiry. | |||||||||
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will publish in the Official Report the net amount of adult male average earnings in Scotland for each October since 1948, or the longest convenient period, and the relationship of retirement pension for a single person and married couple to these earnings.