HL Deb 09 February 1978 vol 388 cc1237-8WA
Lord SANDYS

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will set out in one comprehensive table the number of people in Great Britain in each year as from and including 1973, in receipt of supplementary benefit, including wives and other dependants; in receipt of rent rebates and rent allowances, including those granted to recipients of supplementary benefit, including wives and other dependants; in receipt of rate rebates, including those granted if any to recipients of supplementary benefit, including wives and other dependants; in receipt of free school meals; and the number of people in receipt of Family Income Supplement including wives and other dependants.

Lord WELLS-PESTELL

The information requested is given below:

Number of people receiving various means-tested benefits 1973–1976 in Great Britain.
Thousands
1973 1974 1975 1976
Supplementary Benefit(1)
No. of claimants 2,675 2,680 2,793 2,940
No. of wives 549 538 564 614
No. of children 798 874 1,078 1,172
All claimants and dependants 4,002 4,092 4,434 4,725
Rent rebates and allowances(2)
No. of rebates 1,930 2,087 2,160 2,382
No. of allowances 235 333 400 616
Rate Rebates(3)
No. of rebates 1,110 2,630 2,930 3,020
Free School Meals(4)
No. of children receiving free school meals:
in England and Wales 795 750 784 839
in Scotland 137 130 122 117
in Great Britain 932 880 906 956
Family Income Supplement(5)
No. of claimants 95 70 60 77
No. of wives 50 32 28 42
No. of children 221 161 135 176
All claimants and dependants 366 261 223 295

NOTES:

(1) Supplementary Benefit: source—supplementary benefit annual enquiry, November 1973 and 1974, and December 1975 and 1976.

(2) Rent rebates and allowances: source—Department of the Environment, relating to October of each year. The figures include supplementary benefit recipients who received direct rebates and allowances up to 31 March 1974 and indirect rebates and allowances since that date. Estimates of family composition are not available.

(3) Rate rebate: source—Department of the Environment, relating to March of each year. The estimates are for the number of households receiving a rates rebate and include those few who may be receiving supplementary benefit for a short-term transitional period. Estimates of family composition are not available.

(4) Free school meals: source—Department of Education and Science census at October of each year in respect of England and Wales; Scottish Education Department census at January of each year in respect of Scotland. The figures are for number of children receiving free school meals at the stated dates: estimates of family composition are not available.

(5) Family Income Supplement: source—10 per cent. statistical sample at December of each year.

(6) All figures relate to Great Britain except where explicitly stated to the contrary and are rounded to the nearest thousand. Because of rounding component figures may not sum to the total.