asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his latest estimate of the number and percentage of people who receive no benefit when they become unemployed because they were previously self-employed.

I have no information later than that which I gave to the hon. Member for Wallasey (Mrs. Chalker) on 20 January 1978. This showed that an estimated total of 150,000 men registered as unemployed at 3 May 1976 were not receiving unemployment benefit because of a deficient contribution record; and in about 45 per cent. of these cases the cause of the contribution deficiency was attributed to self-employment.—[Vol.942,c. 386–7]