§ Mr. G. THORNEasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is now in a position to furnish the following desired particulars as to Old Age Pensions, namely: particulars as to year ended 31st March, 1923; total amount paid in pensions; the total cost of administration; the total number of pensions actually payable on the first Friday in March, 1923, stating those of men and those for women, separately in both cases; the number of pensions paid at the varying rates of 10s., 9s., 8s., 7s., 6s., 5s., 4s., 3s., 2s., and 1s.; the number of applications for pensions; the number of applications rejected, giving various causes of rejection, age, poor relief, means, and other causes; the number of pensioners of whose deaths notifications have reached the office of the pension officers during the year ended as above, the number of paupers over 70 years of age in England, Scotland, and Wales, and 1524W in institutions, stating the average cost per head per annum; the number of paupers over 70 years of age in receipt of out-door relief, stating the average cost per head per annum of men and women, separately in both cases; the average weekly cost of a convict in penal servitude and prisoner in ordinary prisons for the year ended as above; and the number of persons over 70 years of age in prisons and penal servitude during the year ended as above?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe particulars desired by my hon. Friend, as far as they are available, are as follow: (The figures relating to old age pensions are for Great Britain, and are for the year ended 31st March, 1923.)
Old Age Pensions.
(1) Total amount paid in pensions (approximately):
£22,362,000.
(2) Total cost of administration:
£ Expenses of Pensions Committees (approximately) 54,000 Expenses of administration by Government Departments concerned, estimated at 810,270 (See note to Estimates, Civil Service, Class 6, Vote 2, 1922–23.)
(3) Total number of pensions actually payable on the last Friday in March,1923:
Men … … 315,778 Women … … 580,146 Total … … 895,924 (4) Number of pensions paid at the various rates (on last Friday in March, 1923):
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834,883 at 10s. rate. 24,185 at 8s. rate. 16,105 at 6s. rate. 411 at 5s. rate. 12,494 at 4s. rate. 65 at 3s. rate. 6,237 at 2s. rate. 1,544 at 1s. rate. Total 895,924 (5) Number of applications for pensions:
167,384
(6) Number of applications rejected:
The only figures available are the combined figures of claims rejected and pensions revoked, which are as follows:
Age … … 8,041 Poor relief … … 12,196 Means … … 12,838 Other causes … … 1,536
— Institutional Belief Domiciliary Relief Totals (i) Total number of persons (all ages) 224,719 1,222,689 1,447,408 (ii) Number of persons over 70 years of age (included in (i) above). 43,072 29,548 72,620 (iii) Number of old age pensioners (included in (ii) above). 3,025 27,577 30,602
Average Weekly Cost of Poor Law Relief in England and Wales in the Financial year, 1921–22. s. d. (i) Average cost of institutional relief (other than relief to lunatics in lunatic asylums) per person in receipt of such relief 31 0¾ (ii) Average cost of domiciliary relief per person in receipt of such relief 6 2½ These averages cover the same items and are subject to the same qualifications as those previously furnished for the year 1918–19 and earlier years and set out on page 148 of Part III of the
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— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. SANE POOR:— In Poorhouses: Ordinary 6,982 4,193 573 11,748 Destitute Able-bodied Unemployed 102 14 14 130 Outdoor: Ordinary 12,554 29,053 47,326 88,933 Destitute Able-bodied Unemployed 36,687 7,140 103,463 147,290 OTHER THAN SANE POOR:— In Licensed Wards of Poorhouses and 553 569 — 1,112 Greenock Parochial Asylum. In Asylums 6,530 6,531 — 13,161 In Private Dwellings 1,158 1,411 — 2,569 (7) Number of pensioners of whose deaths information reached the pension officers:
89,267
(8) and (9) Paupers in Institutions and in Receipt of Out-door Relief.
(a) England and Wales:
Number of persons (other than lunatics in lunatic asylums) in receipt of Poor Law relief in England and Wales on the 1st January, 1923).
First Annual Report of the Minister of Health (Command Paper 932), except that, in view of the wide fluctuations of pauperism during the year, the figures have been calculated on the average weekly numbers in receipt of relief instead of on a mean of two dates (1st July and 1st January) as formerly. It has not been found practicable to give the average cost per head for men and women separately.
(b) Scotland:
The number of paupers and dependants of all classes in Scotland at 15th May, 1922, the latest date for which figures are available, was:
1527WThe average weekly cost of all sane paupers and dependants for 1921–22, on the basis of the number chargeable (other than destitute able-bodied) at 15th May, 1922, was:
£ s. d. Indoor … … … 1 1 10 Outdoor … … … 6 10 These average costs are exclusive of general administrative charges. Indoor
— Males. females. Dependants. Total. 15th September, 1922:— In Poorhouses 1,208 1,042 10 2,260 Outdoor 1,191 2,972 261 4,424 15th January, 1923:— In Poorhouses 1,277 1,010 19 2,306 Outdoor 1,274 3,050 290 4,614 These outdoor poor include old age pensioners as follow:
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. At 15th September, 1922 … … … 827 2,108 178 3,113 At 15th January, 1923 … … … 942 2,248 219 3,409 There were also lunatic poor of 70 years of age and upwards who cannot be allocated between indoor and outdoor:
— Males. Females. Total. At 15th September, 1922 … … … 401 737 1,138 At 15th January, 1923 … … … 417 743 1,160 (10) Cost of Maintenance of Convicts and Local Prisoners.
(a) England and Wales:
The latest available figures are for 1921–22, and they are as follows:
Convicts. Per week. £ s. d. Gross cost 2 14 7 Net cost, after deducting value of labour and incidental receipts 2 2 6 1528W
Local Prisoners. Per week. £ s. d. Gross cost 1 19 6 Net cost, after deducting value of labour and incidental receipts 1 10 5 cost includes cost of maintenance management, debt charges, etc., of poorhouses. Outdoor cost includes aliment, additional aliments (e.g., clothing, boots, fuel, etc.), removals, interments, and medical charges.
The number of sane paupers and dependants in Scotland over 70 at 15th September, 1922, and 15th January, 1923, was:
(b) Scotland:
The latest available figures are for the year ended 31st december 1922,and are as follows:
Per week. £ s. d. Convicts … … … 1 13 11 Prisoners … … … 1 7 1 (11) Persons over 70 years of age in Prison.
(a) England and Wales:
On the 30th April, 1923, there were in prison the following persons over 70 years of age:
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(i) Convicted prisoners: Convict Prisoners (12 male and 1 female) 13 Local prisoners (28 males and 9 females) 37 (ii) Unconvicted prisoners: Males 8 (b) Scotland:
During the year ended 31st March, 1923, 33 persons (28 males and 5 females) over 70 years of age were confined in Scottish prisons, of whom 26 males and 4 females were convicted. There was no person over 70 years of age in penal servitude.