HC Deb 17 February 1978 vol 944 c416W
Mr. Lee

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many claimants received social security payments earmarked for mortgage interest in each of the last five years.

Mr. Orme

The number of supplementary benefit recipients whose benefit included provision for mortgage interest was as follows. The figure for 1977 is not yet available.

December 1972 95,000
December 1973 82,000
December 1974 84,000
December 1975 98,000
December 1976 120,000*
* Estimated. Collection of the statistics in 1976 was affected by industrial action in unemployment benefit offices.