HC Deb 07 March 1980 vol 980 cc361-2W
Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the classifications of families other than those of strikers for which his Department maintains separate records of social security payments; and if he will list the total of payments for each such classification in 1979.

Mrs. Chalker

[pursuant to her reply, 3 March 1980, c. 74–5]: The table was omitted from my earlier reply. There are no specific classifications of families for which separate records are maintained, other than by the rules of entitlement to

NUMBER OF SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT RECIPIENTS AND AVERAGE WEEKLY PAYMENT OF BENEFIT NOVEMBER 1979 (PROVISIONAL)
Recipients (thousands) Average weekly payment £
All 2,853 15.47
All Supplementary Pensions 1,717 9.55
Retirement Pensioners etc. 1,625 8.55
Others over Pension Age 92 27.23
All Supplementary Allowances 1,136 24.41
Unemployed with Contributory Benefit 80 10.60
Unemployed without Contributory Benefit 490 25.65
Sick and Disabled (No breakdown yet available) 206 17.57
National Insurance Widows under 60 16 11.16
One Parent Families not otherwise included 312 30.83
Others 32 28.25

Source: Supplementary Benefits Quarterly Statistical Enquiry.

of (a) unemployment and (b) long-term unemployment for men in the following situation: (i) single, (ii) married with no children, (iii) married with children, (iv) married with one or two children, (v) married with three or four children and (vi) married with five or more children.

Mrs. Chalker

[pursuant to her reply, 28 February 1980, c. 714]: The information is not available in the form requested, but the table below gives, for the family types shown, the estimated numbers of registered unemployed males receiving unemployment benefit and/or supplementary allowance in November 1978, the latest available date. No comparable information is available for unemployed men who were not in receipt of benefit.

benefit. All Governments utilise the various classifications to describe benefits going to specific groups in the population. There has been no change in practice.

A considerable amount of statistical information relating to supplementary benefit claimants may be found in "Social Security Statistics" and also in chapter 12 of the annual report of the Supplementary Benefits Commission 1978—Cmnd. 7725.

The following provisional information relating to November 1979 is available in respect of the categories listed in table 34.36 of "Social Security Statistics".

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