§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons of working age have been incapable of employment for more than six months without invalidity or Industrial Injuries Scheme benefit.
§ Mr. Alec JonesAbout 220,000—excluding housewives—of whom some 135,000 receive supplementary benefit. In addition, there are perhaps 40,000 married women housewives without any basic benefit who are incapacitated both for housework and for paid employment. I would refer my hon. Friend to House of Commons Paper 276 of September 1974 which contains a fuller discussion of the statistics. The first stage of non-164W contributory invalidity pension will be introduced later this year.