HC Deb 30 June 1978 vol 952 cc697-8W
Mr. Hordern

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were in receipt of supplementary benefit as a result of being unemployed for more than six months in each of the last 10 years.

Mr. Orme

Information is not available prior to 1973 nor yet for 1978.

The table below shows, for each of the other years, the number of persons who had been registering unemployed for six months and were receiving supplementary benefit:

Year (May) Number of persons (Thousands)
1973 167
1974 121
1975 144
1976 278
1977 341

Mrs. Wise

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people who are in receipt of sickness benefit are also receiving supplementary benefit; and what is the average amount of supplementary benefit paid to each.

Mr. Orme

The latest available information relates to December 1976 when 74,000 people receiving sickness* benefit were also receiving supplementary benefit: their average weekly supplementary benefit payment was £7.08.

* Includes injury and invalidity benefit and maternity allowance, but not noncontributory invalidity benefit.