asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost to the revenue of giving tax relief to employers on class I secondary national insurance contributions.

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 21st May 1975; Vol. 892, c. 427], gave the following answer:The estimated total of class I secondary national insurance contributions payable by employers in the United Kingdom during 1975–76 is about £3,600 million. Where the employer carries on a trade, business, etc., such contributions are treated as an allowable deduction in computing taxable profits. The information on which to base an estimate of giving such a deduction is not available.