§ Mr. Bodyasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many retirement pensioners living in Brentwood, Billericay, Basildon, Pitsea and Vange were in receipt of supplementary assistance at the earliest convenient date, and at the corresponding date in each of the succeeding years; and if he will state, year by year, the national growth in the number of retirement pensioners throughout this period.
§ Miss PittThe National Assistance Board informs me that the Board's office at Brentwood which at present serves an area corresponding roughly with the places mentioned was not opened until March, 1955, and that figures relating to that area when previously it was part of larger areas served by other offices are not available. The number of weekly assistance grants paid to retirement pensioners by the Brentwood office was 1,680 at the end of March, 1955, and 1,616, 1,727 and 1,650 respectively at corresponding dates in the succeeding three years. Some of the grants provided for the requirements of a household with more than one pensioner. Between those dates the number of retirement pensioners in Great Britain grew from 4,450,000 in 1955 to 4,550,000 in 1956, 4,670,000 in 1957 and 4,780,000 in 1958.