asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the administrative cost of unemployment benefit per £1 in benefit paid, and the administrative cost of supplementary benefit per £1 paid to unemployed claimants.

The administrative cost of paying each £1 of (a) unemployment benefit and (b) supplementary benefit to unemployed claimants in the financial year 1978–79 is estimated to be of the order of 10½p and 18p respectively.