§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update to 1989–90 his answer of 26 January 1989 to the hon. Member for York (Mr.194W Gregory), Official Report, columns 711–12, giving the proportion of the real growth in social security expenditure attributable to increases in the number of beneficiaries and to increases in the average amounts of benefit paid.
§ Mr. JackBetween 1978–79 and 1989–90, social security programme expenditure has increased by 36 per cent. in real terms, from £38.5 billion to £52.2 billion at 1989–90 prices. The Government's commitment to meeting genuine needs has seen social security spending rise from 26 per cent. of public spending in 1978–79 to 32 per cent. in 1989–90.
The main groups benefiting from the growth of the programme have been:
Pensioners: expenditure on the elderly has increased by about £5.2 billion in real terms. This substantial rise in social security spending has taken place at the same time as the rapid growth of occupational and personal pensions and the higher income from savings which many pensioners now enjoy. The result is that pensioners' incomes from all sources have increased by 31 per cent. between 1979 and 1987.Long-term sick and disabled: expenditure has grown by 105 per cent.—almost £4.4 billion—in real terms. A total of 590,000 more people now receive invalidity benefit than in 1978–79 and the numbers receiving attendance allowance have increased by 530,000. The numbers receiving mobility allowance have increased sixfold from 95,000 to 585,000 over the period.The family: total benefit support for the family has increased by 28 per cent. in real terms over the period. Spending on family credit in 1989–90 was £425 million. This is more than double the spending on family income support which it replaced.It is not possible to produce a meaningful breakdown of expenditure changes, for the reasons detailed in the answer to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 26 February 1990 at column 64.