HC Deb 11 February 1982 vol 17 cc452-4W
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stockport, North, on 10 December, Official Report, column 464, if he will give the figures for the number of (a) one-parent families and (b) two-parent families of the estimated average number of recipients of State benefits who will not have the shortfall restored in November 1981.

Mrs Chalker

I regret that this information is not available except for the following benefits:

One-parent Two-parent
families families
One-parent benefit 470,000
Family income supplement 50,000 50,000
supplementry allowance* 335,000 240,000

* As at December 1980

Mr. Kenneth Carlisle

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost of raising the capital limit above which supplementary benefit is not paid from £2,000 to £3,000.

Mrs. Chalker

The number of holders of capital who would become eligible for benefit is not precisely known, but on reasonable assumptions the benefit cost would be of the order of £15 million a year. To make the change also requires about 150 additional staff.

Mr. Field

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list (a) the number of claimants helped

Number and avrage amount of ENPs for clothing and footwear—(Thousands)
Number of multi Number of single Average amountof
item ENPs item ENPs single item ENPs
£
November 1979 68 292 25.31
December 1980* 52 303 35.44

* Provisional

SourceAnnual Statistical Inquiry 1979, 1980.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many payments have been made under the Supplementary Benefits Single Payments Regulation 1981 at each benefit office in the county of Cumbria since 23 November.

Mrs. Chalker

The following information has been obtained from four-weekly returns prepared by DHSS local offices and covers the period from 25 November 1981 to 19 January 1982:

Local office Number of single Total amount
payments awarded awarded
£
Carlisle 212 11,473
Kendal 28 1,499
Penrith 44 2,520
Whitehaven 298 13,830
Workington 282 11,381

Mr. Campbell-Savours

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many (a) pensioners and (b) persons of non-pensionable age have registered an entitlement to supplementary benefit at each office in the county of Cumbria during the last month for which statistics are available.

Mrs. Chalker

The following information has been obtained from four-weekly returns prepared by DHSS offices and covers the period from 23 December 1981 to 19 January 1982:

and (b) the amount of money paid out to supplementary benefit claimants in lump sum payments—clothing and footwear—in the periods (i) November 1978 to November 1979, (ii) November 1979 to November 1980 and (iii) November 1980 to November 1981.

Mrs. Chalker

Information is not available in the form requested, but is available for the number of single payments for clothing and footwear and multiple item payments including clothing and footwear in the years ending November 1979 and December 1980 with the average payment for the single items only. Information is not yet available for December 1981.

The following table shows for each year the exceptional needs payments made during the previous 12 months—or since benefit commenced if this was less than 12 months—to those in receipt of benefit on a day in November 1979 and December 1980. It does not include those who ceased claiming benefit during each 12-month period. The table thus analyses only about two-thirds of the awards during the year.

Number of sucessful claims
Local office (a) Supplementary (b) Supplementary
pension allowance
Carlisle 22 614
Kendal 10 215
Penrith 1 120
Whitehaven 15 278
Workington 13 362