§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the special blind persons' rate of supplementary benefit has not been extended to all disabled people claiming supplementary benefit; and what the estimated cost of this extension would be (a) to all disabled persons registered with local authorities, and (b) to all handicapped and impaired persons on the basis of the OPCS survey.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisThe view we have taken is that within the supplementary benefits scheme special expenses arising out of disablement are more appropriately dealt with, in accordance with the individual circumstances, through the exercise of the discretionary powers of the Supplementary Benefits Commission. Accordingly no increase has been made for some years in the margin by which the special scale rates exceed the normal rates. I regret that the information requested in the second part of the Question is not available.
My hon. Friend will be aware that three new cash benefits have been legislated for by the present Government: the noncontributory invalidity pension, including Housewives' NCIP; the invalid care allowance; and the mobility allowance. Since the present Government came to office the overall value of additional resources already made available or pledged for benefits for the chronically sick and disabled amounts in cash terms to well over £1,000 million a year.
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§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish in the Official Report the amount paid in supplementary benefit for each year since 1948 and including the latest available date, expressed (a) in 1976 prices and (b) as a percentage of gross national product.
§ Mr. O'MalleyThe information requested is as follows:
Year Expenditure on Supplementary Expenditure on Benefit (or Supplementary before 1966 Benefit as a National Assistance and non-contributory national old-age pensions) £ million* Expenditure on Supplementary Benefit as a percentage of the gross national product 1949 … 327 0.71 1950 … 349 0.74 1951 … 353 0.74 1952 … 401 0.85 1953 … 412 0.83 1954 … 414 0.81 1955 … 371 0.71 1956 … 369 0.68 1957 … 372 0.67 1958 … 372 0.66 1959 … 419 0.72 1960 … 496 0.80 1961 … 466 0.73 1962 … 490 0.76 1963 … 552 0.82 1964 … 548 0.78 1965 … 557 0.78 1966 … 613 0.84 1967 … 834 1.11 1968 … 855 1.12 1969 … 942 1.23 1970 … 936 1.18 1971 … 1,050 1.29 1972 … 1,127 1.35 1973 … 998 1.11 1974 … 1,062 1.19 1975† … 781 1.16 * Expenditure is adjusted by reference to the difference between the monthly average of the General Index of Retail Prices for each year and the average for the 12 months ending November 1975, the latest month for which figures are available. † First nine months.