§ 74. Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services for each week since 3rd February, 1972, what has been the total of successful new claims for family income supplement, the total of lapsed claims, the net increase in successful claims, and the cumulative total of successful claims.
§ Mr. Dean:It has not been possible to provide the information required in the time available, but I will write to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many applications for family income supplement have been made to date in the London region; and how many applications were successful.
§ Mr. Dean:Statistics of applications for family income supplements are kept only on a national basis. Information about numbers of beneficiaries is available for departmental regions; I estimate that in the three regions centred on London about 13,000 families are receiving the benefit. These regions cover the whole of South-East England.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services for each week since 3rd February, 1972, how many claimants of family income supplement who had been in receipt of the benefit for the previous 26 weeks either did not renew their claim or had their renewed application rejected.
§ Mr. Dean:Claims for renewal of expiring awards of family income supplement can be made at any time within the period from four weeks before to four weeks after the expiry date. The awards which expire in any week cannot, therefore, be related to the renewal claims made, or decisions on such claims given, in that week. No records are available 38W which can provide the weekly figures asked for. From the week including 3rd February to the week ending on 21st April, 1972, about 40,000 awards came to an end. In the same period about 23,000 renewal awards were made and 4,900 renewal claims rejected.