To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer of 2 February 2009, Official Report, column 573, on jobseeker's allowance, what proportion of the increase since 1997 in (a) total employment and (b) employment of people of working age is accounted for by non-UK citizens. (254882)

[holding answer 9 February 2009]: For the purposes of counting the number of people in employment, it is the convention to use all those in the population of 16 and over, to recognise the contribution made by older workers. At the time of oral questions, the latest data on that basis showed that between Q3 1997 and Q3 2008 over half of the increase was indeed accounted for by UK citizens.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of increasing jobseeker’s allowance by (a) 100 per cent. for claimants with an unbroken work record of more than five years and (b) 200 per cent. for claimants with an unbroken work record of more than 10 years immediately prior to their claim in each of the next five years; (264648)

DWP do not hold this information centrally and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.