asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will give as much detailed information as may be available showing to what extent persons from the countries of the Common Market have entered Great Britain and claimed and received social security payments; what amounts have been claimed and paid; and what restrictions, if any, are placed upon such claimants.

I assume my hon. Friend has in mind claims to supplementary benefit. No restrictions on claiming that benefit are placed on people coming from Common Market countries, and in 1977, 493 visitors, excluding those from the Republic of Ireland, were paid benefit for more than two months.

asked the Secreary of State for Social Services whether he will give as much information as may be available showing to what extent persons from Common Market countries have entered Great Britain and have received unemployment benefits; whether there is any restriction imposed; and whether he will make a statement.

Unemployment benefit is paid for days of unemployment only to claimants who can meet our national insurance contribution conditions and satisfy other requirements—chiefly that they must be capable of, and available for, work. Under the provisions of the EEC Regulations on social security, unemployment insurance in other Common Market countries can also be taken into account to satisfy the contribution conditions in relation to claims from nationals of those countries who become unemployed in Great Britain, provided they have worked and been insured here since their last arrival. Exceptionally a person who does not satisfy this last condition may still be able to count unemployment insurance contributions in another Common Market country if he has retained permanent residence in Great Britain while temporarily working abroad. The number of claims to unemployment benefit since the beginning of 1977 in which unemployment insurance in other Common Market countries has been taken into account is as follows:—

Insurance in			1977	1978
Belgium	…	…	51	9
Denmark	…	…	19	3
France	…	…	202	98
Germany	…	…	405	109
Ireland	…	…	583*	377
Italy	…	…	65	27
Luxembourg	…	…	4	—
Netherlands	…	…	92	30
Total	…	…	1,421	653
* From 1st March 1977 only.

My Department may also be authorised by other Common Market countries to continue to pay their unemployment benefits to unemployed persons who come from those countries to Great Britain to seek work. In such cases the payment is recovered from the other Common Market country. The numbers dealt with in this way since the beginning of 1977 have been as follows:—

Unemployment benefit of			1977	1978
Belgium	…	…	15	8
Denmark	…	…	20	2
France	…	…	10	8
Germany	…	…	60	33
Ireland	…	…	185	51
Luxembourg	…	…	—	1
Netherlands	…	…	9	9
Total	…	…	299	112

GREENWICH HEALTH DISTRICT
		Average daily bed occupation during 1977
Hospital		Medical	Surgical
St, Nicholas Hospital Plumstead	…	72·0	90·3
Dreadnought Seamans Hospital, Greenwich	…	35·3	52·7
Eltham and Mottingham Hospital, London, S.E.9	…	3·3	18·0
Greenwich District Hospital, London, S.E.10	…	106·1	172·1
Brook General Hospital, London, S.E.18	…	155·3	183·1
Memorial Hospital, London, S.E.18	…	Nil	1·6

		Average daily bed occupation during 1976
Hospital		Medical	Surgical
St Nicholas Hospital Plumstead	…	66·3	89·7
Dreadnought Seamans Hospital, Greenwich	…	40·0	53·3
Eltham and Mottingham Hospital, London, S.E.9	…	4·8	18·7
Greenwich District Hospital, London, S.E.10	…	113·9	163·2
Brook General Hospital, London, S.E.18	…	136·3	180·6
Memorial Hospital, London, S.E.18	…	Nil	15·9
1977 figures are provisional.