§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total amount of (a) supplementary benefit and (b) unemployment benefit paid to claimants in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available; and what information he has as to the average number of claimants under each heading during that period.
§ Mr. WhitneyA total of £5,593 million was paid to all supplementary benefit claimants and £1,497 million to unemployment benefit claimants in the 1983–84 financial year. The estimated average number receiving the benefits at any one time in 1983–84 was 1 million unemployment benefit claimants and 4.4 million claimants of supplementary benefit.