Financial Resolutions, 1978: Financial Statement, Budget, 1978. - Unemployment assistance for women
The Government are committed to work towards the elimination of discrimination against women in the social welfare code. A main area of discrimination has been unemployment assistance. In order to be eligible for unemployment assistance, a widow or single woman at present must have at least one dependant or a minimum number of contributions. The Government have decided that single women, including school leavers and widows, will be entitled to claim unemployment assistance on the same basis as men. To allow sufficient time to complete the necessary administrative arrangements, the operative date of these provisions will be 1 October 1978. The cost involved is £1.6 million in 1978 and £6.5 million in a full year.
The live register will, of course, be affected by this extension of the unemployment assistance scheme. I estimate that, as a result, it could increase by about 14,000 towards the end of the year. However, the impact will be readily measurable by reference to the consistently small number of women hitherto in receipt of unemployment assistance. Any appreciable increase in their numbers will be ascribable to this easement in the qualifying conditions for unemployment assistance, and not to any underlying increase in unemployment.
In addition to the foregoing measures, the Government have also decided on a number of smaller, but nonetheless significant, improvements in the social welfare code including, for instance, increases in maternity and death grants. A full list of these improvements, which will cost a quarter of a million pounds in 1978, will be found in the document setting out the "Principal Features of the Budget".
In aggregate, the social welfare measures which I have announced to-day will cost the Exchequer £21.7 million in 1978 and £33.2 million in a full year.
The Government are conscious that they are responsible to the taxpayer and insurance contributor, and indeed to the community at large, for ensuring that there will be no significant abuse of the social welfare code. The Minister for Social Welfare is tackling this problem and is confident that the elimination of abuses will lead to economies of at least £2.5 million in 1978.