HC Deb 22 March 1974 vol 870 cc213-5W
Mr. David Steel

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the amount of expenditure on National Assistance and supplementary benefits for each year since 1948; and if she will express this total as a percentage of the gross national product.

(Thousands)
Year Population of Great Britain(a) Claimants (b) Dependants (c) Claimants and dependants (d) (d) as a percentage of (a)
1948 … 48,652 963 501 1,465 3.0
1949 … 48,941 * * *
1950 … 49,188 1,285 630 1,915 3.9
1951 … 48,854 1,440 608 2,048 4.2
1952 … 49,056 1,636 754 2,390 4.9
1953 … 49,209 1,735 757 2,492 5.1
1954 … 49,378 1,778 716 2,494 5.1
1955 … 49,552 1,598 598 2,196 4.4
1956 … 49,787 1,637 627 2,264 4.5
1957 … 50,032 1,712 672 2,384 4.8
1958 … 50,250 1,649 712 2,361 4.7
1959 … 50,549 1,766 807 2,573 5.1
1960 … 50,952 1,857 821 2,678 5.3

Mr. Robert C. Brown

The details are as follows:

United Kingdom
Expenditure on National Assistance (plus non-contributory old-age pension) and supplementary benefit £million Expenditure expressed as a percentage of the Gross National Product
1949 … 79 0.71
1950 … 87 0.74
1951 … 96 0.74
1952 … 119 0.85
1953 … 126 0.83
1954 … 129 0.81
1955 … 121 0.71
1956 … 126 0.68
1957 … 132 0.67
1958 … 136 0.66
1959 … 154 0.72
1960 … 184 0.80
1961 … 179 0.73
1962 … 196 0.76
1963 … 225 0.82
1964 … 231 0.78
1965 … 246 0.78
1966 … 281 0.85
1967 … 392 1.12
1968 … 421 1.13
1969 … 489 1.24
1970 … 517 1.21
1971 … 634 1.31
1972 … 725 1.37
1973* … 704 112
* Provisional.

Mr. David Steel

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the number of claimants drawing National Assistance and supplementary benefits for each year since 1948; and if she will express the total number of people dependent on these benefits as a percentage of the total population.

Mr. Robert C. Brown

The information is given in the following table:

(Thousands
Year Population of Great Britain Claimants Dependants Claimants and dependants (d)as a percentage of (a)
(a) (b) (c) (d)
1961 … 51,284 1,844 765 2,608 [...]
1962 … 51,906 2,007 968 2,975 5.7
1963 … 52,232 1,971 940 2,911 5.6
1964 … 52,608 1,961 813 2,774 5.3
1965 … 52,967 1,997 844 2,840 5.4
1966 … 53,176 * * *
1967 … 53,488 2,559 1,289 3,848 7.2
1968 … 53,781 2,637 1,358 3,995 7.4
1969 … 54,022 2,688 1,409 4,097 7.6
1970 … 54,187 2,738 1,429 4,167 7.7
1971 … 53,828 2,909 1,655 4,564 8.5
1972 … 54,239 2,929 1,634 4,563 8.4
1973 … 54,387 2,675 1,492 4,167 7.7
* Numbers of claimants and dependants are derived from annual sample inquiries in November of each year. No such inquiries were made in 1949 and 1966—and the figures given for 1973 are provisional.