HC Deb 16 December 1976 vol 922 c825W
Miss Richardson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been (a) the ordinary rate of supplemen-

SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT, SICKNESS BENEFIT AND RETIREMENT PENSION AS A PERCENTAGE OF NET EARNINGS*
Supplementary Benefit including rent addition
Ordinary rate Long-term rate‡ Sickness Benefit Retirement Benefit
Year (October)† Single person Married couple Single person Married couple Single person Married couple Single person Married couple
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.
1965 … … … … 36.1 51.7 — — 27.0 41.2 27.0 41.2
1966 … … … … 39.5 56.3 42.4 59.0 26.2 40.1 26.2 40.1
1967 … … … … 38.9 55.5 41.8 58.2 28.4 43.4 28.4 43.4
1968 … … … … 38.6 55.1 41.6 57.9 26.6 40.8 26.6 40.8
1969 … … … … 39.1 56.3 41.9 58.9 27.5 42.4 27.5 42.4
1970 … … … … 39.0 56.0 41.5 58.4 25.0 38.4 25.0 38.4
1971 … … … … 37.6 53.9 39.8 56.1 27.1 41.8 27.1 41.8
1972 … … … … 35.3 51.1 37.6 53.3 25.7 39.8 25.7 39.8
1973 … … … … 36.0 49.3 39.4 53.2 24.8 38.7 26.1 40.7
1974 … … … … 34.6 49.6 40.5 57.3 25.6 39.5 29.7 45.5
1975 … … … … 39.2 56.5 46.2 65.5 27.8 43.0 33.3 50.6
1976§ … … … … 38.5 51.2 44.8 59.3 25.0 38.5 30.0 45.3
*Estimates made by the Department of Health and Social Security based on average gross weekly earnings of male, adult full-time manual workers as determined by the Department of Employment's October inquiry in to the earnings of manual workers employed in manufacturing and certain other industries and the monthly index of average earnings, less tax and national insurance contributions.
†National Insurance benefit rates used for 1969 and 1975 and supplementary benefit rates used for 1966, 1969, 1970 and 1975 are those for November.
‡The long-term addition was introduced in 1966. The long-term rate started in 1973.
§The latest date for which earnings information is available is August 1976 and it is provisional. The benefit rates used are accordingly those introduced in November 1975 (although there has since been an increase in benefit rates—operative from November 1976) but the supplementary benefit rates used take account of the average rent addition in August 1976.