asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the annual cost to the National Insurance Fund and to the Supplementary Benefit Commission of 1½ million unemployed.
It is estimated that the full year cost of unemployment benefit and supplementary benefit at current rates of benefit, if there were 1½ million unemployed, comprising the wholly unemployed, unemployed school leavers, adult students and persons whose employment is temporarily stopped, would be about £1·3 billion.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list in the Official Report the numbers claiming unemployment benefit and earnings related and supplementary benefit since 1966; and if he will express these details as a percentage of the numbers registered as unemployed;(2) if he will list in the
Official Report the number of unemployed claiming national assistance and supplementary benefit for each year since 1948; and if he will express these details as a percentage of the numbers registered as unemployed;
(3) if he will list in the Official Report the numbers claiming unemployment benefit and national assistance/supplementary benefit since 1948; and if he will express these details as a percentage of the numbers registered as unemployed;
(4) if he will list in the Official Report the numbers claiming unemployment benefit since 1948; and if he will express these details as a percentage of the numbers registered as unemployed.
The available information is given in the following table:
| ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PERSONS IN RECEIPT OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT AND/OR SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT(1) AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL REGISTERED UNEMPLOYED | ||||||||||||
| Persons registered as unemployed and in receipt of: | ||||||||||||
| Flat-rate unemployment benefit | Flat-rate benefit plus earnings-related supplement | Supplementary benefit with or | ||||||||||
| Without supplementary benefit | With supplementary benefit | with supplementary benefit | without unemployment benefit | |||||||||
| Year (November) | Number (000's) | Percentage of total registered unemployed | Number (000's) | Percentage of total registered unemployed | Number (000's) | Percentage of total registered unemployed | Number (000's) | Percentage of total registered unemployed | ||||
| 1948 | … | … | … | … | 233 | 71·0 | 19 | 5·8 | — | — | 53 | 16·2 |
| 1949 | … | … | … | … | 217 | 67·1 | 30 | 9·3 | — | — | 66 | 20·4 |
| 1950 | … | … | … | … | 174 | 57·6 | 38 | 12·6 | — | — | 77 | 25·5 |
| 1951 | … | … | … | … | 166 | 57·3 | 33 | 11·4 | — | — | 66 | 22·7 |
| 1952 | … | … | … | … | 233 | 57·2 | 59 | 14·5 | — | — | 102 | 25·1 |
| 1953 | … | … | … | … | 166 | 51·4 | 48 | 14·9 | — | — | 94 | 29·1 |
| 1954 | … | … | … | … | 120 | 45·6 | 30 | 11·4 | — | — | 80 | 30·4 |
| 1955 | … | … | … | … | 104 | 46·2 | 20 | 8·9 | — | — | 61 | 27·0 |
| 1956 | … | … | … | … | 125 | 47·1 | 30 | 11·3 | — | — | 73 | 27·6 |
| 1957 | … | … | … | … | 147 | 46·3 | 41 | 13·0 | — | — | 96 | 30·3 |
| 1958 | … | … | … | … | 268 | 50·7 | 66 | 12·5 | — | — | 151 | 28·6 |
| 1959 | … | … | … | … | 199 | 45·9 | 42 | 9·7 | — | — | 129 | 29·7 |
| 1960 | … | … | … | … | 146 | 41·5 | 31 | 8·8 | — | — | 107 | 30·5 |
| 1961 | … | … | … | … | 173 | 45·2 | 29 | 7·6 | — | — | 103 | 26·9 |
| 1962 | … | … | … | … | 259 | 47·5 | 55 | 10·0 | — | — | 150 | 27·5 |
| 1963 | … | … | … | … | 208 | 43·6 | 46 | 9·7 | — | — | 155 | 32·6 |
| 1964 | … | … | … | … | 146 | 41·7 | 26 | 7·5 | — | — | 111 | 31·7 |
| 1965 | … | … | … | … | 132 | 40·7 | 34 | 10·5 | — | — | 112 | 34·5 |
| 1966 | … | … | … | … | 234 | 48·4 | 36 | 7·4 | 5 | 1·1 | 120 | 24·7 |
| 1967 | … | … | … | … | 245 | 43·1 | 64 | 11·2 | 9 | 1·6 | 192 | 33·8 |
| 1968 | … | … | … | … | 235 | 42·3 | 53 | 9·5 | 7 | 1·2 | 189 | 34·1 |
| 1969 | … | … | … | … | 217 | 38·7 | 55 | 9·9 | 8 | 1·4 | 196 | 35·0 |
| 1970 | … | … | … | … | 243 | 40·8 | 52 | 8·8 | 6 | 1·1 | 201 | 33·7 |
| 1971 | … | … | … | … | 352 | 40·9 | 97 | 11·3 | 11 | 1·2 | 331 | 38·5 |
| 1972 | … | … | … | … | 268 | 33·9 | 76 | 9·6 | 9 | 1·1 | 357 | 45·2 |
| 1973 | … | … | … | … | 155 | 30·5 | 36 | 7·0 | 7 | 1·3 | 228 | 44·8 |
| 1974 | … | … | … | … | 208 | 33·7 | 55 | 8·9 | 11 | 1·8 | 267 | 43·2 |
| 1975 | … | … | … | … | 406 | 37·6 | 90 | 8·3 | 29 | 2·7 | 479 | 44·4 |
| 1976* (May) | … | … | … | … | 446 | 37·2 | 110 | 9·2 | 31 | 2·6 | 554 | 46·1 |
| * Latest date for which figures are available. | ||||||||||||
| Notes: | ||||||||||||
| (1)Prior to 1966 national assistance. | ||||||||||||
| (2)Figures prior to 1959 are based on a 100 per cent. count of National Assistance Board cases current in December each year. Figures for 1965 are based on a sample inquiry in November. | ||||||||||||
| (3)Figures for 1959 and onwards are based on a 5 per cent. sample of the total registered unemployed. | ||||||||||||