Supplementary Benefit (Hansard, 27 January 1977)

§ Mr. Madden
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report the percentage of the total population dependent on supplementary benefits for the latest available date.

§ Mr. Deakins
In December 1975, the latest date for which information is available, 8.3 per cent. of the estimated population of Great Britain were wholly 727W or in part dependent on supplementary benefits.

§ Mr. Madden
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will update the table given in reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North (Mr.

SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT RATES (INCLUDING RENT) AS A PERCENTAGE OF NET AVERAGE EARNINGS(1)

Married couple

Rates in force from Single householder Without children With two children aged under 5 With four children, two aged under 5 and two aged 5 to 10 With four children aged 3, 8, 12 and 14

7th April 1975:

Ordinary … … 39.2 55.9 64.5 71.5 77.1

Long-term … … 45.7 64.2 72.0 78.4 83.8

17th November 1975:

Ordinary … … 38.7 55.7 65.1 73.4 79.2

Lone-term … … 45.6 64.7 71.8 77.7 82.7

Notes:

(1) Estimated earnings, in April and November 1975 respectively, of full-time adult male manual workers, based on the Department of Employment's inquiry into the earnings of manual workers employed in manufacturing and certain other industries and on the monthly index of average earnings, plus family allowances and less tax and national insurance contributions.

(2) The table published on 13th February last year—[official Report, Vol. 904, c. 421–4]—uses net average earnings as defined above in October each year but the supplementary benefit rates used in compiling that table may have been in force for some time unlike those in the above table. The two tables, therefore, are not strictly comparable.

SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFIT RATES (INCLUDING RENT) AS A PERCENTAGE OF NET AVERAGE EARNINGS(1)
					Married couple
Rates in force from	Single householder	Without children	With two children aged under 5	With four children, two aged under 5 and two aged 5 to 10	With four children aged 3, 8, 12 and 14
7th April 1975:
Ordinary	…	…	39.2	55.9	64.5	71.5	77.1
Long-term	…	…	45.7	64.2	72.0	78.4	83.8
17th November 1975:
Ordinary	…	…	38.7	55.7	65.1	73.4	79.2
Lone-term	…	…	45.6	64.7	71.8	77.7	82.7
Notes:
(1) Estimated earnings, in April and November 1975 respectively, of full-time adult male manual workers, based on the Department of Employment's inquiry into the earnings of manual workers employed in manufacturing and certain other industries and on the monthly index of average earnings, plus family allowances and less tax and national insurance contributions.
(2) The table published on 13th February last year—[official Report, Vol. 904, c. 421–4]—uses net average earnings as defined above in October each year but the supplementary benefit rates used in compiling that table may have been in force for some time unlike those in the above table. The two tables, therefore, are not strictly comparable.