§ Mr. G. THORNEasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is now in a position to furnish the following desired particulars as to old age pensions; particulars as to year ended 31st March, 1921; total amount paid in pensions; the total cost of administration; the total number of pensions actually payable on the first Friday in March, 1921, stating those for men and those for women separately in both cases; the number of pensions paid at the varying rates; the number of applications for pensions; the number of applications rejected, giving various causes of rejection, age, poor relief, means, and other causes; the number of pensions of whose deaths notifications have reached the office of the pensions officers during the year ended as above; particulars desired as to the number of paupers over 70 years of age in England, Scotland, and Wales, in insti- 1841W tutions, stating the average cost per head per annum; the number of paupers over 70 years of age in receipt of outdoor relief, stating the average cost per head per annum of men and women separately in both cases; the average weekly cost of a prisoner in penal servitude and in ordinary prisons for the year ended as above; and the number of persons over 70 years of age confined in prisons during the year ended as above?
Mr. YOUNGThe particulars desired by my hon. Friend with regard to Old Age Pensions during the year ending 31st March, 1921, as far as they are available, are as follow:—
(1) Total amount paid in pensions, approximately £25,087,000.
(2) Total cost of administration expenses of Pension Committees, £65,333. Expenses of administration by Government Departments concerned, including cost of payment by the Post Office, printing of pension books and forms, cost of appeals, searches in registers, estimated at £708,051 (see note to Estimates, Civil Service, Class VII, Vote 1, 1920–21).
(3) Total number of pensions payable to men and to women on last Friday in March, 1921:—
Men 353,794 Women 648,548 Total 1,002,342 (4) Number of pensions paid at the varying rates (on last Friday in March, 1921):
936,517 at 10s. rate. 26,459 at 8s. rate. 17,174 at 6s. rate. 12,670 at 4s. rate. 6,153 at 2s. rate. 1,629 at 1s. rate. 1,740 not yet adjusted to the new rates under the old Age Pensions Act, 1919. Total, 1,002,342 (5) Number of applications for pensions,. 200,698.
(6) Number of applications rejected. The only figures available are the combined figures of claims rejected and pensions revoked, which are as follows:
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Age 14,541 Poor Relief 13,642 Means 24,843 Other Causes 2,290 (7) Number of pensioners of whose deaths information reached the pension officers, 99,986.
(8) The number of persons over 70 years of age in England and Wales in institutions (other than lunatic asylums) and in receipt of out-door relief on the 1st January, 1921, the latest date for which figures are available, is as follows:
— Institutional Relief. Domiciliary Relief. Totals. (i) Total number of persons (all ages). 203,031 376,303 579,334 (ii) Number of persons over 70 years of age (included in (i) above). 40,939 11,754 52,693 (iii) Number of old age pensioners (included in (ii) above). 3,311 9,998 13,309 (9) Average weekly cost of Poor Law relief in England and Wales in the financial year 1919–20:
s. d. (i) Average cost of institutional relief (other than relief to lunatics in lunatic asylums) per person in receipt of such relief 28 10½ (ii) Average cost of domiciliary relief per person in receipt of such relief 6 5 These averages cover the same items and are subject to the same qualifications as those for earlier years given on page 148 of Part III of the First Annual Report of the Minister of Health (Command Paper 932). I regret that it has not been found possible to give the average cost per head per annum for men and women separately.
(10) With regard to Scotland, no figures are available as to the number of persons admitted to poorhouses who were in receipt of old age pensions whilst 1843W inmates thereof, nor of those who were in receipt of old age pensions up to the date of admission.
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. Sane Poor— In poorhouses 4,942 3,481 327 8,750 Outdoor 8,464 23,565 30,914 62,943 Other than Sane Poor— In Licensed Wards of Poorhouses and Greenock Parochial Asylum. 526 525 — 1,051 In Asylums 6,247 6,256 — 12,503 In Private Dwellings 1,160 1,461 — 2,621 The average weekly cost of all sane paupers and dependants in Scotland for 1919–20, on the basis of the number chargeable at 15th May, 1920, was:
Indoor £1 3 0¼ Outdoor 5 10½ These average costs are exclusive of general administration charges. Indoor
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. 15th January, 1920— In poorhouses … … … 1,078 893 11 1,982 Outdoor … … … 606 1,810 98 2,514 15th January, 1921— In poorhouses … … … 1,178 979 11 2,168 Outdoor … … … 796 2,198 151 3,145 These outdoor poor include old age pensioners as follows:
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. At 15th January, 1920, (for medical relief only). 362 1,041 56 1,459 At 15th January, 1921 564 1,517 94 2,175 There were also lunatic poor of 70 years of age and upwards who cannot be allocated as between indoor and outdoor:
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— Males. Females. Total. At 15th January, 1920 … … … 404 723 1,127 At 15th January, 1921 … … … 458 698 1,156 The number of paupers and dependants of all classes in Scotland at 15th May, 1920, was:
cost includes cost of maintenance, management, debt charges, etc., of poorhouses. Outdoor cost includes aliment, additional aliments (e.g., clothing, boots, fuel, etc.), removals, interments and medical charges.
The number of sane paupers and dependants in Scotland over 70 at 15th January, 1920, and 15th January, 1921, was:
1845W(11) The average weekly cost of prisoners for the financial year 1919–20, which is the latest for which figures are available, is as follows:
Convicts. Per week. £ s. d. Gross cost 2 8 10 Net cost after deducting value of labour and incidental receipts 2 3 7 Local Prisoners. Gross 1 17 8 Net 1 14 3 (12) The number of persons over 70 years of age confined in prisons is not available, but I have reason to believe that it is very small.