§ Mr. Lomasasked the Minister of Social Security what was the number of weekly allowances of supplementary benefits paid from 1950 to the latest available date.
§ Mr. PentlandThe number of weekly allowances of Supplementary Benefit paid is shown in the table below. The table gives the number of recipients of National Assistance grants at the end of each year from 1949 to 1965 and for October 1966, the latest date for which figures are avail-126W able before the new Supplementary Benefits scheme became effective. The number of recipients of Supplementary Benefits shown for February 1967 is the latest available figure.
[Year] [Thousands] 1949 … … 1,157 1950 … … 1 350 1951 … … 1,462 1952 … … 1,667 1953 … … 1,761 1954 … … 1 796 1955 … … 1,612 1956 … … 1,656 1957 … … 1,712 1958 … … 1,649 1959 … … 1,766 1960 … … 1,857 1961 … … 1 844 1962 … … 2,007 1963 … … 1,971 1964 … … 1,961 1965 … … 1,997 1966 (October) … … 2,069 1967 (February) … … 2,576
§ Mr. Lomasasked the Minister of Social Security what is the estimated proportion of persons in receipt of retirement pensions, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit and widow's benefit who are also receiving supplementary allowances.
§ Mr. PentlandThe percentage of retirement pensioner households in which a supplementary pension was in payment at the end of the year was estimated to be 29.6 per cent., and about 14.2 per cent. of persons receiving sickness benefit, and 20.3 per cent. of widow beneficiaries (other than widow basic pensioners) were receiving supplementary allowances.
At the beginning of November 1966, the latest date for which figures are available, 15.3 per cent. of persons receiving unemployment benefit were also receiving supplementary allowances.