§ Mr. ClayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many income support claimants had direct deductions for gas, electricity, rent arrears, poll tax arrears, water rates and social fund loans in 1990.
§ Miss WiddecombeFigures for May 1989 are contained in table 10 of the "Department of Social Security Income Support Statistics Annual Statistical Inquiry, May 1989", a copy of which is in the Library. There were no deductions for community charge at that time. Figures for the numbers of claimants with deductions in May 1990 will be published shortly.
§ Mr. ClayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families with children were in receipt of income support in each year since 1979.
§ Miss WiddecombeIncome support was introduced in April 1988 when it replaced supplementary benefit. The numbers of families with children under the age of 16 years receiving those benefits since 1979 is in the table:
Thousands November 1979 477 December 1980 567 December 1981 777 December 1982 907 December 1983 948 December 1984 1,031 February 1986 1,137 May 1987 1,138 May 1988 1,119 May 1989 1,106 SourceAnnual Statistical Enquiries.
NoteThere was no Annual Statistical Enquiry in 1985: the one due in December that year was deferred until February 1986.