§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the level of supplementary benefit or national assistance provided for, respectively, a single person, a married couple, and a married couple with two children 377W aged five and 10 years, at November each year since 1948; and what percentage of national average earnings are represented by each of these benefit levels.
§ Mr. DeanThe information about supplementary benefit and national assistance rates is contained in the annual reports of my Department, the Ministry of Social Security and the National Assistance Board which are available in the Library.
As information about average earnings is published by the Department of Employment for October each year, the comparison has been made with national assistance/supplementary benefit rates in that month in the table below. The information in regard to a married couple was contained in my reply to the hon. Member on 6th April, 1971.
Year National assistance and supplementary benefit scale rates for householder as percentage of average male earnings National assistance and supplementary benefit scale rates for married couple with 2 children (aged 5 and 10) as percentage of average male earnings 1948 17.4 42.0 1949 16.8 40.7 1950 17.3 42.2 1951 18.1 44.0 1952 19.6 48.2 1953 18.5 45.5 1954 17.1 42.1 1955 16.8 41.3 1956 16.8 41.2 1957 15.9 39.0 1958 17.5 42.9 1959 18.5 45.4 1960 17.2 42.3 1961 17.4 42.4 1962 18.1 43.3 1963 19.0 44.9 1964 17.5 41.6 1965 19.4 45.8 1966* 18.7 (20.0) 44.2 (46.6) 1967 20.1 47.0 1968 19.8 46.3 1969* 18.3 (19.3) 42.9 (44.9) 1970* 17.1 (18.5) 39.8 (43.1) NOTES:—
(1) Average earnings for October, 1971, have not yet been published.
(2) In the years marked with an asterisk, scale rates were increased in November; the figures in brackets show the percentage of average earnings represented by the increased rate.
—[Vol. 815, c. 77.]