HC Deb 14 November 1988 vol 140 cc436-7W
11. Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were in receipt of supplementary benefit in 1987–88; and how many people are currently in receipt of income support.

12. Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were in receipt of supplementary benefit in 1987–88; and how many people are currently in receipt of income support.

13. Mr. Alan W. Williams

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were in receipt of supplementary benefit in 1987–88; and how many people are currently in receipt of income support.

Mr. Scott

A total of 5.1 million people were receiving supplementary benefit on 31 July 1987; and 4.5 million were receiving income support on 31 August 1988.

Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing for each month from April 1987 to April 1988 how many people made an application for supplementary benefit/income support and how many people received it.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The available information appears in the table.

Supplementary benefit/income support claims and awards: Great Britain
Total claims (thousands) Benefit awarded (thousands)
1987–88
April 377 265
May 374 269
June 416 304
July 616 483
August 487 369
September 554 430
October 500 371
November 417 299
December 368 263
January 390 281
February 404 279
March 417 273
TOTAL 5,320 3,886
1988–89
April 284 207
May 285 215
June 334 258
July 419 350
August 371 298
September 354 293

Notes:

1. Information for claims made in October 1988, and in subsequent months, will not be available until four weeks after the relevant month.

2. Data for April 1988 include Supplementary Benefit claims cleared before the start of Income Support on 11 April.

3. The table does not include the 232,000 Supplementary Benefit Claims outstanding at 11 April and cleared subsequently.

59. Mr. Ray Powell

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications have been made by 16 and 17-year-olds to be granted income support on grounds of severe hardship.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

During the eight-week period since general entitlement to income support was withdrawn from 16 and 17-year-olds, 943 applications for a direction by the Secretary of State under the severe hardship provision have been received. In 607 cases (64 per cent.) a direction was given to enable payment to be made and in 336 cases (46 per cent.) a direction was refused.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how and why the income support personal allowance differs from the illustrative rates in the technical annex to "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691), uprated to take account of changes in the Rossi price index for the periods taken into account in the 1986, 1987 and 1988 benefit upratings and increased in respect of the 20 per cent. rates contribution.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The income support personal allowances quoted in the technical annex to "Reform of Social Security" (Cmnd. 9691) were for illustrative purposes only. Comparisons between those and the rates of income support are not, therefore, appropriate.