§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish in the Official Report the value of (a) supplementary benefit children's rates, (b) short-term national insurance rates for children and (c) long-term national insurance rates for children as a percentage of average net earnings for each year since 1966 and average earnings at each uprating since 1974;
(2) if he will publish in the Official Report the long-term supplementary benefit scale rate for a single person, married couple, married couple with two children under 5 and married couple with four children, two aged under 5 years and two aged 5 to 10 years, including average rent payments, as a percentage of (a) average earnings for each year since 1954 and (b) average net earnings for each year since 1974;
(3) if he will publish in the Official Report the ordinary supplementary benefit scale rate for a single person, married couple, married couple with two children under 5 and married couple with four children, two aged under 5 years and two aged 5 years to 10 years, including average rent payments, as a percentage of (a) average earnings for each year since 1954 and (b) average net earnings for each year since 1974;
(4) if he will list in the Official Report the standard weekly supplementary 339W benefit payment to a single person, a married couple, a married couple with two children under 5 years of age, a married couple with two children under 5 years of age and two between 5 and 11 years of age, for each year since 1948; and if he will list these sums in 1976 prices.
§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the administrative cost of the supplementary benefit scheme for each year since 1966; and what was this cost for each year, as a percentage of the total amount of supplementary benefit paid out.
§ Mr. OrmeThe information requested is given below:
Year Administrative cost of supplementary benefit scheme Administrative cost as a percentage of benefit paid £m. 1966–67 … 30.5 10.0 1967–68 … 34.4 8.7 1968–69 … 40.3 9.1 1969–70 … 45.0 9.3 1970–71 … 53.4 9.9 1971–72 … 67.4 10.2 1972–73 … 75.9 10.4 1973–74 … 91.0 12.5 1974–75 … 121.6 12.3 1975–76 … 176.0* 13.0 * Estimated.