HC Deb 27 July 1977 vol 936 cc275-6W
Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing the total number of people in receipt of supplementary benefit in 1976, distinguishing between the main categories of recipients.

Mr. Orme

The information, relating to December 1976, is as follows:

Thousands
ALL SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFITS 2,940
ALL SUPPLEMENTARY PENSIONS 1,687
Retirement pensioners and national insurance widows aged 60 and over 1,592
Others 95
ALL SUPPLEMENTARY ALLOWANCES 1,253
Unemployed (with and without contributory benefit—separate information not available) 654
Sick:
with contributory benefit 74
without contributory benefit 169
National insurance widows aged under 60 28
One-parent families not included in the above groups 303
Others 25

Mrs. Wise

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now take steps to reduce to one year instead of two the qualifying time for entitlement to long-term addition to supplementary benefit in the case of applicants with children.

Mr. Orme

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 22nd July.—[Vol. 935, c. 755.]

Mr. Sproat

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what account an officer of his Department is required to take, when calculating supplementary benefit due, of the fact that the person claiming benefit runs a car of over £500 in value.

Mr. Orme

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Louth (Mr. Brotherton) on 20th July 1976—[Vol, 915, c. 459.]