§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the average number of social security benefits received by those receiving supplementary benefit;
(2) what is the most commonly received social security benefit received by those receiving supplementary benefit.
§ Mrs. ChalkerI regret that the information requested in the first question is not available. The hon. Member will, however, see from the table below that the social security benefit most commonly received by supplementary beneficiaries is retirement pension.
(Great Britain) Other social security benefits (a) received by supplementary benefit recipients(b)in November 1978. Thousands Retirement pension and widows benefit to persons of pension age 1,631 Unemployment benefit 93 Sickness benefit 16 Invalidity benefit 42 Industrial injury disabled benefit 6 Widows benefits to persons under pension age 27 Maternity allowance 2 Attendance allowance 61 Child benefit 523 Non-contributory invalidity pension 49 Mobility allowance 4 Family income supplement 4 Invalid care allowance 2 Notes: (a) Includes child benefit paid to wives but otherwise excludes benefits payable to dependants, eg attendance allowance paid to wives.
(b) There were 2,932,000 supplementary benefit recipients in all.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give for the latest convenient date the number of people who have been unemployed for more than one year and are receiving supplementary benefit and the percentage this represents of all those unemployed for more than one year; and if he will give comparable figures for the past 10 years.
§ Mrs. Chalker[pursuant to her reply, 28 February 1980, c. 712]: Information is available only from 1972 and relates to a week in November for all 501W years except—on account of industrial action—1976, and 1979—not yet available. For years up to 1977 percentages are of all registered unemployed for a year; those from 1978 relate to claimants for benefit or national insurance credits. Following is the information:
PERSONS UNEMPLOYED FOR OVER ONE YEAR Year Receiving supplementary benefit (Thousands) Percentage of all unemployed/unemployed claimants 1972 134 72 1973 102 69 1974 84 65 1975 110 68 1976 (May) 156 73 1977 222 77 1978 233 80 1979 (May) 228 79