§ 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 the year ended 31st March, 1925: total amount paid in pensions; the total cost of administration; the total number of pensions actually payable on the first Friday in March, 1925, stating those for 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 2032W 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 the institutions, stating the average cost per head per annum; the number of paupers over 70 years of age in receipt of outdoor 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 age in prisons and penal servitude during the year ended as above?
Mr. GUINNESSThe particulars desired by the hon. Member, as far as they are available, are as follow:
Old Age Pensions. (The figures are for Great Britain and for the year ended 31st March, 1925.) £ (1) Total amount paid in pensions: Approximately 24,904,000 (2) Total cost of administration: Expenses of Pension Committees, approximately 66,200 Expenses of administration by Government Departments concerned, estimated at 756,642 (See Note to Estimates, Civil Service, Class VI, Vote 3, 1924–25.)
Total number of pensions actually payable on the last Friday in March, 1925:
Men 370,809 Women 639,875 Total 1,010,684 (4) Number of pensions payable at the various rates on last Friday in March, 1925:
2033W
s. d. 986,843 at 10 0 rate. 7,190 at 8 0 rate. 6,395 at 6 0 rate. 71 at 5 0 rate. 5,759 at 4 0 rate. 7 at 3 0 rate. 3,508 at 1 0 rate. 911 at 1 0 rate. 1,010,684 (5) Number of applications for pensions, 246,759.
(6) Number of applications rejected. The only figures available are the combined figures of claims rejected and pensions revoked, which are as follows:
Age 8,055 Poor Relief 13,215 Means 19,272 Other causes 2,043
— Institutional Relief. Domiciliary Relief. Totals. (i) Total number of persons (all ages) 224,128 886,825 1,110,953 (ii) Number of persons over 70 years of age (included in (i) above). 44,475 45,064 89,539 (iii) Number of old age pensioners (included in (ii) above) 3,535 42,852 46,387
Average weekly cost of Poor Law relief in England and Wales in the financial year 1923–24: (i) Average cost of institutional relief (other than relief to lunatics in asylums) per person in receipt of such relief 25s. 6¼d. (ii) Average cost of domiciliary relief per person in receipt of such relief 5s. 11¼d. 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 a mean of the number on two dates (1st July and 1st January). It has not been found practicable to state
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. Sane Poor— In Poorhouses— Ordinary 6,952 4,139 529 11,620 Destitute Able-bodied Unemployed 199 27 113 339 Outdoor— Ordinary 14,371 31,885 51,745 98,001 Destitute Able-bodied Unemployed 26,224 3,572 71,777 101,573 Other than Sane Poor— In Licensed Wards of Poorhouses and Greenock Parochial Asylum. 653 573 — 1,226 In Asylums 6,823 6,780 — 13,603 In Private Dwellings 1,202 1,455 — 2,657 The average weekly cost of all sane paupers and dependants for 1923–24 on the basis of the number chargeable (other than destitute able-bodied) at 16th May, 1924, was:
2034W(7) Number of pensioners of whose death information reached the pension officers, 97,956.
(8) and (9) Paupers in Institutions and in Receipt of Outdoor Relief.
(a) England and Wales.
Number of persons (other than lunatics in asylums) in receipt of Poor Law relief in England and Wales on the 1st January, 1925:
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-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, 1924 (the latest date for which figures are available) was:—
2035W
£ s. d. Indoor 1 0 6 Outdoor 0 6 9 These average costs are exclusive of general administrative charges. Indoor cost includes cost of maintenance, management, debt charges, etc., of poor-house. Outdoor cost includes aliment, additional aliment (namely, clothing,
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. 15th September, 1924— In Poorhouses … … … … 1,290 1,104 8 2,402 Outdoor … … … … 1,668 3,703 375 5,746 15th January, 1925— In Poorhouses … … … … 1,272 1,072 11 2,355 Outdoor … … … … 1,783 3,781 398 5,962 The outdoor poor include Old Age Pensioners as follows:—
— Males. Females. Dependants. Total. At 15th September, 1924 … … … 1,256 2,770 272 4,298 At 15th January, 1925 … … … 1,388 2,898 287 4,573 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, 1924. 456 781 1,237 At 15th January, 1925. 449 756 1,205 (10) Cost of Maintenance of Convicts and Local Prisoners.
(a) England and Wales
The latest available figures are for the year 1923–24 and are as follows:
Convicts: £ s. d. Gross cost 1 19 8 Net cost after deducting value of labour and incidental receipts 1 6 2 Local prisoners: Gross cost 1 9 7 Net cost after deducting value of labour and incidental receipts 1 0 1 (b) Scotland
The latest available figures are for the year ended 31st December, 1924, and are as follows:
2036Wboots, fuel, etc.), removals, interments and medical charges.
The number of sane paupers and dependants in Scotland over 70 at 15th September, 1924, and 15th January, 1925, was:
£ s. d. Per Week. Convicts: 1 11 7 Local prisoners 1 5 7 (11) Persons Over 70 Tears of Age in Prison.
(a) England and Wales
The total number of convicted persons received into prisons during the year ended 31st March, 1924 (including Those sentenced to penal servitude) who were 70 years of age and over was 267 men and 73 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, 1925, 57 persons (48 males and nine females) over 70 years of age were confined to prisons, of whom 41 males and nine females were convicted; six males were untried, and one male was in penal servitude.