§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each quarter since May 1997 473W the number of lone parents claiming income support; and if he will estimate the number of lone parents who will be claiming income support for each of the next four quarters. [65767]
§ Angela EagleThe information is in the table.
Number Published 1 May 1997 1,014,000 August 1997 1,012,000 November 1997 982,000 February 1998 972,000 May 1998 961,000 Forecast2 August 1998 957,000 November 1998 933,000 February 1999 927,000 May 1999 918,000 August 1999 919,000 November 1999 895,000 1Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and as such are subject to a degree of sampling error. 2Figures are consistent with forecasts produced for the pre-budget report and are estimates of the number of lone parents that will be shown in future quarterly Statistical Enquiries. Note:
Lone parents are defined as those single people with dependants who are not in receipt of a disability or pensioner premium. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.