§ 64. Mr. Kirbyasked the Minister of Health how many persons in the City of Liverpool were in receipt of public assistance on the last day of February; how many of these were persons in receipt of State-provided old age pensions; and what was the total cost per week to the ratepayers and the annual cost in terms of rate poundage?
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health (Mr. Bernays)As the answer is rather long, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ On Saturday, 26th February, 1938, the nearest date to the last day of February for which figures are available, 61,638 persons in the City of Liverpool were in receipt of poor relief. The only return made to my Department which distinguishes the number of old age pensioners in receipt of poor relief is that relating to 1st January in each year. On 1st January, 1938, 7,719 old age pensioners in the City of Liverpool were in receipt of poor relief. As regards the last part of the hon. Member's question the only information in the possession of my Department regarding the cost of poor relief in the City of Liverpool in February, 1938, relates to out-relief in money and kind. The average weekly cost of such relief in that month was £18,704. In the year 1936–37, the latest year for which figures are available, the revenue expenditure of the Liverpool Town Council on poor relief which fell 1208 to be met out of rates and the block grant under the Local Government Act, 1929, was £1,609,997, equivalent to a rate in the £ of 5s. 6.2d. Since 1st April, 1930, it has not been possible to state to what extent the cost of any particular service has fallen on rates, inasmuch as the block grants are applicable to local government expenses generally and cannot be apportioned to individual services.
§ 65. Mr. Gordon Macdonaldasked the Minister of Health the number of persons in receipt of public assistance in July, 1931, and on the latest date on which figures are available, giving separate figures for Lancashire?
§ Mr. BernaysOn the last Saturday in July, 1931, the number for England and Wales, excluding rate-aided patients in mental hospitals, persons in receipt of domiciliary medical relief only and casuals, was 972,909. The corresponding number on Saturday, 5th March, 1938, the latest date for which figures are available, was 1,072,191. The figures for the administrative county of Lancaster together with the 17 associated county boroughs were 140,561 and 176,623 respectively.