§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of children living in families with incomes (a) below the supplementary level, (b) at the supplementary level, (c) 20 per cent. above and (d) 40 per cent. above the supplementary benefit level for 1974, 1975 and 1976; and how many of 756W 935, c. 404–61, gave the following information
Ronald Atkins, Esq., MP.
5th September 1977.
Dear Ronald,
In my written answer on 19th July to your Question about mental health services in Preston and Lancashire generally in the period from 1974 to 1977 I promised to write further about the provision of local authority services.
The relevant information about places provided by the social services department of Lancashire County Council in establishments for the mentally ill and mentally handicapped is given in the attached table. Each of the department's 31 area teams includes a social worker or workers specialising in mental health problems, and teams of social workers are also attached to hospitals for the mentally ill and mentally handicapped. Certain additional services are provided by voluntary organisations.
The local and health authorities are co-operating on a number of projects for the mentally ill and mentally handicapped under the arrangements we have made for joint financing of selected high priority developments.
I am arranging for this letter to he published in the OFFICIAL REPORT when Parliament resumes.
Yours sincerely,
Roland Moyle.
these children were in families whose head of household was in full-time work.
§ Mr. Orme, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 24th May 1977; Vol. 932, c. 395], gave the following information:
The table below gives the information requested for 1974 and 1975. Information for 1976 is not yet available.
757W
758W759W
NUMBERS OF FAMILIES AND NUMBERS OF CHILDREN IN FAMILIES WITH INCOMES AT VARIOUS LEVELS Great Britain (thousands) l974 1975 Level of family income Number of all families with children Number of children in these families Number of families with head in full-time work or self-employed Number of children in these families Number of all families with children Number of children in these families Number of families with head in full-time work or self-employed Number of children in these families (a) Below supplementary benefit level 110 270 60 160 180 420 110 280 (b) Receiving supplementary benefit 440 750 — — 390 820 — — (c) Above, but less than 20 per cent. above supplementary benefit level 140 380 100 270 230 590 170 450 (d) At least 20 per cent. above, but less than 40 per cent. above supplementary benefit level 330 870 280 780 570 1,370 500 1,210 These estimates are rounded to the nearest 10,000. Those in lines (a), (c) and (d) are subject to sampling error, being based on an analysis by the Department of Health and Social Security of Family Expenditure Survey data for 1975. The Family Expenditure Survey covers people living in private households only.
The supplementary benefit level is taken as being the supplementary benefit scale rate appropriate to the family. This is compared with the family's net income less net housing costs, less work expenses.
The estimates in line (a) do not indicate unclaimed entitlement to supplementary benefit since persons in full-time work are not normally eligible to claim.
The comparison is based on the family's normal income in the normal employment situation of the head. The estimates may therefore include families where the head has been off work due to sickness or unemployment for less than three months, if the family income when the head was at work was below supplementary benefit level.
Estimates for the self-employed, who are included in the above figures, are especially liable to error, partly because their recorded
ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF FAMILIES AND PERSONS WITH INCOME BELOW SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT LEVEL Thousands Great Britain England Wales Scotland Year Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons 1972 … 1,220 1,780 — — — — — — 1973 … 1,070 1,600 — — — — — — 1974 … 920 1,410 750 1,190 70 120 100 100 1975 … 1,090 1,840 930 1,580 70 140 80 120 Separate numbers for England, Wales and Scotland are not available before 1974.
This table should be read in conjunction with the footnotes to the table given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Sowerby (Mr. Madden) on 22nd November 1976—[Vol. 919, c. 1000–4] —which indicate the limited comparisons that can be made or conclusions drawn from these figures.