Hansard

Unemployed Persons

Volume 905: debated on Tuesday 10 February 1976

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Mr. Sillars

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish figures showing the weekly income from unemployment and other benefits for an unemployed married man with two children, who had been earning average wages, from the date of sacking until the exhaustion of benefit; and what his income would be after exhaustion of benefit.

Mr. O'Malley

The information is given in the table below. This does not include entitlement to supplementary

Benefit Entitlement in
1st week of unemploymentWeek 2Weeks 3–28Weeks 29–52Week 53 onwards
£££££
Flat-rate unemployment benefit11·7523·5023·5023·50—
Earnings-related supplement (ERS)——9·75——
Family allowance1·501·501·501·501·50
Total13·2525·0034·7525·001·50
The following assumptions have been made—The contribution and other conditions for unemployment benefit are satisfied, and the rates of unemployment benefit are those applicable from November 1975.No payment in lieu of notice was made on termination of employment.Benefit was not payable for the first three days of unemployment ("waiting days").In calculating ERS it has been assumed that throughout the relevant tax year 1974–75 weekly earnings were £48·63, the figure of average earnings of full-time male manual workers at the mid-point—October 1974—of that tax year.
NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS AT 3RD NOVEMBER 1975 WHO HAVE EXHAUSTED FLAT-RATE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT
Standard RegionMales benefit exhaustedPercentage of total registered unemployed Per cent.All Persons benefit exhaustedPercentage of total registered unemployed Per cent.
Great Britain……159,77014·8173,14616·1
South-East……22,9539·525,19610·4
East Anglia……3,49912·53,77513·5
South-West……11,16112·711,99413·6
West Midlands……12,89911·614,20812·8
East Midlands……9,53315·710,31116·9
Yorkshire and Humberside15,38115·116,43016·1
North-West……30,09418·032,23519·2
Northern……19,87022·621,37024·3
Wales……11,19916·112,00517·2
Scotland……23,18118·925,62220·9

benefit, which would depend on the family's other resources, their financial commitments such as rent, and the children's ages. As an illustration, however, if his children were aged 3 and 8 and a rent of £6 a week was payable, an unemployed man would normally be entitled to have his income brought up to £30·60 in any week in which it was less than that.

Mr. Sillars

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many insured males in Scotland have now exhausted their right to unemployment benefit; if she will express this as a percentage of the total unemployed in Scotland; and if she will publish a table giving similar figures for each of the other planning regions of the United Kingdom;(2) how many insured persons in Scotland have now exhausted their right to unemployment benefit; if she will express this as a percentage of the total unemployed in Scotland; and if she will publish a table giving similar figures for each of the United Kingdom planning regions.

Mr. O'Malley

I regret that information is not held in the form requested, but it is available as follows: