§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many children live in households receiving(a) income support or (b) family credit in the areas covered by Benefits Agency offices serving predominantly (i) Southampton, (ii) Portsmouth, (iii) Hampshire, (iv) Dorset (v) East Sussex, (vi) West Sussex, (vii) Kent, (viii) Berkshire and (ix) Surrey.
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe best estimated information available is set out in the table, but some figures, particularly those for family credit, are estimated from a small number of sample cases and should therefore be treated with caution.
Number of children1 in households receiving Income Support and Family Credit paid by Benefits Agency offices predominantly serving2 the areas shown Area Income support3 thousands Family Credit4 thousands Southampton 17 5 Portsmouth 16 4 Hampshire 73 23 Dorset 25 8 East Sussex 34 10 West Sussex 27 7 Kent 81 20 Berkshire 33 9 Surrey 22 6 Notes: 1Income support figures include children under 16 and dependants aged under 19 still living in the parental home. Family credit figures include children under 16 and aged 16 to 18 if still in full-time education. 2A Benefits Agency office has been regarded as predominantly serving an area where more than half of its case load resides in the area. 3Source: "Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry" February 1994,5 per cent. sample of income support awards. 4 Source: 5 per cent. sample of family credit awards at 30 April 1994. 5All figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.