asked the Minister for Social Welfare (a) the amount expended by his Department on unemployment related payments in the year ended November 1983; and (b) the expenditure figure if unemployment had remained at its November 1982 level.

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(a) Based on provisional returns, the amount expended by my Department on unemployment related payments in the year to November 1983 amounted to £479.7 million.

(b) If unemployment had remained at the November 1982 level, it is estimated that expenditure for the period would have amounted to approximately £437.9 million.

Does the Minister accept that that figure has been increased because of the rapidly escalating numbers unemployed?

Naturally there is an increase arising from increased unemployment and that is as it should be.

5.