HC Deb 26 June 1989 vol 155 cc310-3W
Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what level of state benefit income an unemployed family consisting of mother, father, and two children aged 12 and 5 years received in 1979; and what benefit they would receive today if 1979 benefits had been increased to match inflation if the benefits were paid on the same basis as in 1979.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

There is no prescribed procedure for uprating supplementary benefit or housing benefit— different elements of these schemes have been uprated in different ways and by different indices at different times.

Sir Ian Gilmour

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish figures showing the number of families with children:(a) entitled to and (b) receiving supplementary benefit/income support in each year since 1970, distinguishing between one and two-parent families.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

[holding answer 3 May 1989]: The available information is as follows:

Families with children receiving supplementary benefit/income support and estimated eligible non-recipient families by family status
Total in receipt One parent families in receipt One parent families eligible but not in receipt Two parent families in receipt Two parent families eligible but not in receipt
(000s) (000s) (000s) (000s) (000s)
1970 364 218 — 146 —
1971 436 246 — 190 —
1972 433 259 — 175 —
1973 373 257 60 116 80
1974 405 269 — 136 —
1975 502 296 — 206 —
1976 556 323 — 233 —
1977 553 326 50 227 —
1978 535 339 — 196 —
1979 488 322 60 166 60
1980 581 336 — 245 —
1981 794 392 50 402 150
1982 929 441 — 488 —
1983 975 475 40 500 —
1984 1,057 518 — 539 —
1986 1,172 606 — 565 —
1987 1,181 664 — 517 —

Notes:

1. Sources: Annual statistical enquiries 1970 to 1987 for those families with children in receipt of benefit. For eligible non-recipient families appropriate Family Expenditure Survey data.

2. The two columns can not be added to give a total figure of those claiming and not claiming. Recipient families are identified on a 'snapshot basis'. Take-up estimates are based on an average caseload over the year and exclude the institutional population and from 1983 to 1987 Housing Benefit Supplement recipients.

3. All estimates, but especially of eligible non-recipients, are subject to sampling error.

4. One parent familes exclude those temporarily separated.

Sir Ian Gilmour

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish figures showing the estimated number of families(a) entitled to and (b) receiving family income supplement/family credit in each year since 1971,

Families with dependent children receiving family income supplement/family credit and eligible non-recipient families with dependants by family and employment status
Employed10 Self-employed1011
One parent Two parent Estimated eligible non-recipients (one or two parents)39 One parent Two parent
(000s) (000s) (000s) (000s) (000s)
Family income supplement1
August 1971 15 30 — 8— 1
April 1972 27 51 — 8— 3
April 1973 35 44 — 1 3
April 1974 39 33 — 1 3
April 1975 30 22 — 1 3
April 1976 30 25 — 1 4
April 1977 36 42 — 1 5
April 1978 40 49 475 1 5
April 1979 37 36 — 1 4
April 1980 49 33 — 1 5
April 1981 53 45 5130 1 7
April 1982 63 66 — 2 11
April 1983 76 92 6150 3 18
April 1984 78 100 — 3 23
April 1985 80 95 — 3 25
April 1986 79 92 — 4 26
April 1987 87 97 — 4 31
Family credit
April-December 1988 n.a. n.a. 7250 n.a. n.a.
March 19892 100 139 — 8 35
1 Source: 10 per cent. sample of Family Income Supplement awards.
2 1989 Family Credit figures derived from Family Credit statistical system and North Fylde Central Ofice load. Earlier figure on comparable terms are not available.
3 Eligible non—recipients from Family Expenditure survey.
4 1978—79 FES.
5 1981—82 FES.
6 1983—84 FES.

distinguishing between employed, self-employed, one-parent and two-parent families, and including a case-load estimate for its current year.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

[holding answer 3 May 1989]: The information is as follows:

7 April-December 1988 FES. Around 50 per cent. of eligible population of 500,000 employees.
8 Under 500.
9 Columns for claimants and eligible non-claimants cannot be added to give a precise total figure of those claiming and not claiming. Recipient families are identified on a 'snapshot basis'.
Take-up estimates are usually based on an average caseload over two years. For Family Credit, the take-up estimate is based on 9 months of Family Expenditure Survey data.
10 All estimates, especially those for eligible non-recipients, are subject to sampling error.
11 No estimates are available for self-employed eligible non-recipients. Separate estimates of eligible non-recipient one parent and two parent employed cases would be subject to large sampling errors.