HC Deb 28 July 1926 vol 198 cc2127-32W
Mr. G. THORNE

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is now in a position to furnish the following desired particulars as to old age pensions, namely: particulars as to the year ended 31st March, 1926 the total amount paid in pensions; the total cost of administration the total number of pensions actually payable on the first Friday in March, 1926, stating those for men and those for women separately in both cases; the number of pensions paid at the varying rates of 10s., 9s., 8s., 7s., 6s., 5s., 4s., 3s., 2s. and 1s.; 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 pensioners of whose deaths notifications have reached the office of the pension officers during the year ended as above: the number of paupers over 70 years of age in England, Scotland and Wales in institutions, 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 convict in penal servitude and a prisoner in ordinary prisons for the year ended as above; and the number of persons over 70 years of age in prisons and in penal servitude during the year ended as above?

Mr. McNEILL

The particulars desired by the hon. Member, as far as they are available, are as follow:

OLD AGE PENSIONS.

(The figures are for Great Britain and for the year ended 31st March, 1926.)

£
(1) Total amount paid in pensions (approximately) 27,020,000
(2) Total cost of administration:
Expenses of Pension Committees (approximately) 56,800
Expenses of administration by Government Departments concerned (estimated at) 803,811

(See Note to Estimates, Civil Service, Class VI, Vote 3, 1925–6.)

(3) Total number of pensions actually payable on the last Friday in March, 1926:

Men … 398,945
Women … 672,148
Total … 1,071,093

(4) Number of pensions payable at the various rates on last Friday in March, 1926:

1,041,100 at 10s. rate.
8,696 at 8s. rate.
7,731 at 6s. rate.
35 at 5s. rate.
7,582 at 4s. rate.
3 at 3s. rate.
4,652 at 2s. rate.
1,294 at 1s. rate.
Total 1,071,093

(5) Number of applications for pensions, 225,099.

(6) Number of applications rejected.—The only figures available are the combined figures of claims rejected and pensions revoked, which are as follows:

Age … … 7,905
Poor relief … … 14,053
Means … … 22,263
Other causes … … 2,278

(7) Number of pensioners of whose death information reached the pension officers, 105,740.

(8) and (9) Paupers in Institutions and in Receipt of Outdoor Relief.
(a) England and Wales.
Number of persons (other than lunatics in asylums) in receipt of poor law relief in England and Wales on the 1st January, 1926:
— Institutional Relief. Domiciliary Relief. Totals.
(i) Total number of persons (all ages) I 230,218 1,113,078 1,343,296
(ii) Number of persons over 70 years of age (included in (i) above). 45,706 55,832 101,538
(iii) Number of old age pensioners (included in (ii) above). 3,877 53,624 57,501

Average weekly cost of Poor Law relief in England and Wales in the financial year 1024–25:

s. d.
(i) Average cost of institutional relief (other than relief to lunatics in asylums) per person in receipt of such relief 27 3¾
(ii) Average cost of domiciliary relief per person in receipt of such relief 6 4¼

These averages cover the same items and are subject to the same qualification as those previously furnished for the year 1918–19 and earlier years, and set out on page 148 of Part III of the First Annual Report of the Minister of Health (Command Paper 932), except that, in

— Males. Females. Dependants. Totals.
Sane poor:—
In Poorhouses:—
Ordinary 6,945 4,138 585 11,668
Destitute able-bodied unemployed 265 35 97 397
Outdoor:—
Ordinary 15,255 33,160 52,870 101,285
Destitute able-bodied unemployed 19,001 2,687 54,174 75,862
Other than sane poor:—
In Licensed Wards of Poorhouses, Greenock Parochial Asylum and in certified Institutions for Mental Defectives. 680 635 — 1,315
In Asylums 6,955 6,901 — 13,856
In Private Dwellings and Mental Defectives boarded with Governors of Poorhouses. 1,218 1,471 — 2,689

The average weekly cost of all sane paupers and dependants for 1924–25, on the basis of the number chargeable (other than destitute able-bodied) at 15th May, 1925, was:

£ s. d.
Indoor … … … 1 0 2
Outdoor … … … 0 6 10

view of relief instead of on a mean of the numbers on two dates (1st July and 1st January). It has not been found practicable to state the average cost per head for men and women separately.

(b) Scotland.

No figures are available for Scotland as to the number of persons admitted to poorhouses who were in receipt of old age pensions whilst inmates thereof, nor of those who were in receipt of old age pensions up to the date of admission.

The number of paupers and dependants of all classes in Scotland at 15th May, 1925, was:

These average costs are exclusive of general administrative charges. Indoor cost includes cost of maintenance, management, debt charges, etc., of poorhouse. Outdoor cost includes aliment, additional aliment (e.g., clothing, boots, fuel, etc.), removals, interments, and medical charges.

The number of sane paupers and dependants in Scotland over 70 at 15th

— Males. Females. Dependants. Total.
15th September, 1925—
In Poorhouses … … … 1,339 1,221 8 2,568
Outdoor … … … 2,168 4,117 518 6,803
15th January, 1926—
In Poorhouses … … … 1,327 1,076 13 2,416
Outdoor … … … 2,387 4,157 577 7,121

These outdoor poor include Old Age Pensioners as follows:—
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total.
At 15th September, 1925 … … … 1,616 3,199 367 5,182
At 15th January, 1926 … … … 1,836 3,310 445 5,591

There were also lunatic poor of 70 years of age and upwards who cannot be allocated between Indoor and Outdoor:—
— Males. Females. Total.
At 15th September, 1925 … … … … 480 783 1,263
At 15th January, 1926 … … … … 465 762 1,227

(10) Cost of maintenance of convicts and local prisoners.

(a) England and Wales.

The latest available figures are for the year 1924–25 and are as follows:

Convicts:

Per Head per Week.
£ s. d.
Gross cost 2 1 0
Net cost, after deducting value of labour and incidental receipts 1 6 4
Local Prisoners:
Gross cost 1 11 8
Net cost, after deducting value of labour and incidental receipts 1 1 6

(b) Scotland.

The latest available figures are for the year ended 31st December, 1925, and are as follows:

Per Head per Week.
£ s. d.
Convicts … … … 1 16 2
Local Prisoners … … … 1 8 8

September, 1925, and 15th January, 1926, was:

(11) Persons over 70 years of age in prison.

(a) England and Wales.

The total number of convicted persons received into prisons (including those sentenced to penal servitude) who were 70 years of age and over, during the year ended 31st March, 1925, was 285 men and 49 women. There is no information readily available showing how many of these were sentenced to penal servitude.

(b) Scotland.

During the year ended 3Ist March, 1926, 52 persons (40 males and 12 females) over 70 years of age were confined to prisons, of whom 36 males and 12 females were convicted; four males were untried and one male was in penal servitude.