§ Mr. Peter Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much was paid to claimants under the supplementary benefit scheme last year; what were the administrative costs of the scheme; and how many civil servants were employed to operate it.
§ Mr. OrmeSupplementary benefit expenditure in 1975–76 is estimated to be £1,195 million, and administrative costs £175 million. Final figures are not yet available. About 31,000 staff are engaged in administering supplementary benefit. An exact figure cannot be given because the Department's staff are not engaged solely on work on specific benefits.