HC Deb 22 March 1974 vol 870 cc211-2W
Mr. David Steel

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of families drawing the family income supplement for each quarter since the scheme was introduced in 1971.

Mr. Robert C. Brown

Following is the number of families receiving family income supplement:

Date Numbers Receiving FIS
28th September 1971 55,000
28th December 1971 71,000
28th March 1972 68,000
27th June 1972 100,000
26th September 1972 92,000
26th December 1972 82,000
27th March 1973 78,000
26th June 1973 97,000
25th September 1973 106,000
25th December 1973 95,000*
*Provisional

NOTE: The above is a revised series of estimates following the discovery of bias in the sample on which previous estimates were

claimants with children, with two children and with four children.

Mr. Robert C. Brown

I regret that it is not possible to provide this information for the years 1948 to 1953. The following tables gives estimated percentages for each year since 1954.

based. It should be borne in mind that the estimates will always be subject to sampling error.