Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many nationals from other EU member states have received jobseeker's allowance in each of the last 10 years; and what the total cost of such expenditure was to the public purse.

Published National Statistics estimates of Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants by nationality at the point of registration in February of each year, between 2010 and 2015 inclusive, are published at the following URL under the heading ‘Job Seeker’:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/nationality-at-point-of-nino-registration-of-dwp-working-age-benefit-recipients-data-to-feb-2015

Consistent information over a 10 year period 2003 – 2013 was published as a response to a Freedom of Information query at the following URL:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-uk-nationals-nino-registrations-feb-03-to-feb-13

Information on Jobseeker’s Allowance expenditure, in 2013/14, on claims where the main claimant was recorded with a non-UK European Economic Activity country of origin at the point of National Insurance registration, was published in a February 2016 ad hoc statistics report at the following URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/502129/benefit-expenditure-eea-nationals-ad-hoc-stats.pdf. Information for other periods is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.