§ 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, 1924; total amount paid in pensions; the total cost of administration; the total number of pensions actually payable on the first Friday in March, 1924, 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 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 a prisoner in ordinary prisons for the year ended as above; and the number of persons over 70 years of 2491W age in prisons and penal servitude during the year ended as above?
§ 70 Mr. W. GRAHAMThe particulars desired by my hon. Friend, so far as they are available, are as follow:
Old Age Pensions. (The figures are for Great Britain and for the year ended 31st March, 1924.) £ (1) Total amount paid in pensions (approximately) 23,222,000 (2) Total cost of administration:— Expenses of Pension Committees (approximately) 49,600 Expenses of administration by Government Departments concerned (estimated at) 749,006 (See Note to Estimates, Civil Service, Class VI, Vote 3, 1923–24.) (3) Total number of pensions actually payable on the last Friday in March, 1924:— Men 326,805 Women 589,966 Total 916,771
— Institutional Relief. Domiciliary Relief. Totals. (i) Total number of persons (all ages) 226,939 1,051,376 1,278,315 (ii) Number of persons over 70 years of age (included in (i) above) 43,780 36,624 80,404 (iii) Number of old age pensioners (included in (ii) above) 3,393 34,793 38,186 Average weekly cost of Poor Law relief in England and Wales in the financial year 1922–23:
2492W
s. d. (i) Average cost of institutional relief (other than relief to lunatics in lunatic asylums) per person in receipt of such relief 26 5½ (ii) Average cost of domiciliary relief per person in receipt of such relief 5 10 (4) Number of pensions payable at the various rates (on last Friday in March, 1924):
853,859 at 10s. rate. 25,021 at 8s. rate. 16,785 at 6s. rate. 133 at 5s. rate. 12,982 at 4s. rate. 24 at 2s. rate. 6,453 at 2s. rate. 1,514 at 1s. rate. Total 916,771 (5) Number of applications for pensions:
167,967.
(6) Number of applications rejected: The only figures available are the combined figures of claims rejected and pensions revoked, which are as follow:
Age … 7,244 Poor Belief … 12,120 Means … 12,106 Other Causes … 1,685 (7) Number of pensioners of whose deaths information reached the Pension Officers:
100,654
(8) and (9) Paupers in Institutions and in Receipt of Outdoor 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, 1924:
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 First Annual Report of the Minister of Health (Command Paper 932), except that, in view of the wide fluctuations of pauperism, the figures have been calculated on the average weekly numbers in receipt of relief instead of on mean of the members on two dates (1st July and 1st 2493W January). It has not been found practicable to state the average cost per head for men and women separately.
(b) Scotland:
No figures are available for Scotland as to the number of persons admitted to poorhouses who were in receipt of Old
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. Sane Poor. In Poorhouses— Ordinary 6,815 4,115 561 11,491 Destitute Ablebodied Unemployed 191 32 40 263 Outdoor— Ordinary 13,509 30,421 49,762 93,692 Destitute Ablebodied Unemployed 37,503 4,727 98,065 140,295 Other than Sane Poor. In Licensed Wards of Poorhouses and Greenoch Parochial Asylum. 652 600 — 1,252 In Asylums 6,730 6,734 — 13,464 In Private Dwellings 1,188 1,447 — 2,635 The average weekly cost of all sane paupers and dependants for 1922–23, on the basis of the number chargeable (other than destitute able-bodied) at 15th May, 1923. was:
£ s. d. Indoor … … 1 1 1 Outdoor … … 6 10 These average costs are exclusive general administrative charges. Indoor
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. 15th September, 1923. In Poorhouses … … … 1,248 1,018 7 2,273 Outdoor … … … 1,475 3,318 310 5,103 15th January, 1924. In Poorhouses … … … 1,266 1,084 9 2,359 Outdoor … … … 1,500 3,288 309 5,097 These outdoor poor include old age pensioners as follow:
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— Males. Females. Dependants Total. At 15th September, 1923 … … … 1,061 2,420 229 3,710 At 15th January, 1924 … … … 1,141 2,522 212 3,875 Age Pensions whilst inmates thereof, nor of those who were in receipt of Old Age Pensions up to the date of admission.
The number of paupers and dependants of all classes in Scotland at 15th May, 1923 (the latest date for which figures are available), was as follows:—
cost includes cost of maintenance, management, debt charges, etc., of poorhouse. Outdoor cost includes aliment, additional aliment (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, 1923, and 15th January, 1924 was:
2495WThere were also lunatic pool of 70 years of age and upwards who cannot be allocated between indoor and outdoor:
— Males. Females. Total. At 15th September, 1923. 442 764 1,206 At 15th January, 1924. 456 791 1,247 (10) Cost of maintenance of convicts and local prisoners
(a) England and Wales:
2496W
Per week. Convicts: £ s. d. Gross cost 2 2 2 Net cost after deducting value of labour and incidental receipts 1 10 4 Local prisoners: Gross cost 1 9 9 Net cost after deducting value of labour and incidental receipts 1 1 4 (b) Scotland:
The latest available figures are for the year ended 31st December, 1923, and are as follow:
Per week. £ s. d. Convicts … … … 1 7 9 Prisoners … … … 1 3 8 (11) Persons overyears of age in prison.
(a) England and Wales:
The total number of convicted persons received into prisons during the year ended 31st March, 1923 (including those sentenced to penal servitude), who were 70 years of age and over was 257 men and 77 women. There is no information readily available showing how many of these were sentenced to penal servitude.
(b) Scotland:
During the year ended 31st March, 1924, 32 persons (28 males and 4 females) over 70 years of age were confined in prisons, of whom 24 males and 2 females were convicted; 2 males and 2 females were untried; and 2 males were in penal servitude.