§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number of sick or disabled persons at the time of the latest estimate; how many were in receipt of earnings-related sickness benefit; how many received flat-rate sickness benefit only; how many received invalidity benefit only; how many received a supplementary allowance with, respectively, sickness and invalidity benefit; how many received a supplementary allowance only; and how many received neither sickness/invalidity nor supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. DeanThe best estimate of overall numbers is provided by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys survey "Handicapped and Impaired in Great Britain" which was published in 1971. The survey was confined to adults who were living at home. It suggested that there were a total of about 1,128,000 persons, including some 730,000—roughly two-thirds—over the age of 65, in the survey's categories 1 to 6, defined as
very severely, severely, or appreciably handicapped".This definition does not, of course, coincide with "incapacity for work" which is one of the conditions that must be satisfied before a person under pension age may receive sickness or invalidity benefit.At 5th June 1971, the latest date for which information is available, 662,000 persons were receiving flat-rate sickness benefit only, and a further 233,000 flat-rate sickness benefit plus an earnings-related supplement.
In addition there were at 5th June 1971 over 56,000 persons in receipt of industrial injury benefit, of whom nearly 28,000 were getting flat-rate injury benefit only and the remainder flat-rate injury 405W benefit plus an earnings-related supplement.
Invalidity benefit did not begin until September 1971. It is provisionally estimated that there are about 400,000 invalidity pensioners.
In November 1971, the latest date for which details are available, supplementary benefit was being paid to about 21,000 persons who were also receiving sickness benefit, 17,000 who were also receiving injury benefit and 118,000 who were also receiving invalidity benefit. Supplementary benefit was also being paid to about 159,000 persons who were incapable of work but not receiving any of these three benefits.
The number of persons who are incapable of work but receiving neither sickness/invalidity nor supplementary benefit cannot be reliably estimated.