HC Deb 13 June 1978 vol 951 cc400-3W
Mr. Maurice Macmillan

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list (a) the benefits administered by his Department, (b) the estimated number of people entitled to claim each benefit, (c) the actual number of people receiving each benefit at present, (d) the percentage "take-up" this represents, (e) the present cost of each benefit, (f) the cost of administering each benefit, (g) the estimated cost of each benefit if the "take-up" figure for each was 100 per cent., and (h) the amount spent on advertising the existence of each form of benefit in the past year.

Mr. Orme

Information is not held in precisely the form requested. The first table below provides a list of cash benefits administered by my Department and shows for each the number of recipients and costs at the latest dates for which information is held. The second table gives the available information on take-up of cash benefits.

Number of recipients Benefit expenditure Administration Costs(2) Expenditure on advertising(3)
Cash benefit administered by DHSS at latest date Number(1) (thousands) 1976–77 £million 1977–78 £million 1976–77 £million 1976–77 £thousands 1977–78 £thousands
Unemployment benefit Feb. 78 602 558.9 632 59.9
Sickness benefit June 76 470 1,075.7 1,313 78.9 ?
Invalidity benefit June 76 479
Maternity allowance March 77 81 82.3 91 6.6
Maternity grant March 77 587(4)
Death grant June 77 557(5) 15 16 4.3
Guardian's allowance Dec. 77 3.8 2.2 2 0.1
Child's special allowance Dec. 77 0.8
Widow's benefit May 77 414 434 468 10.2
Retirement pension Nov. 76 8,337 5,651.3 6,566 77.4
Old person's pension Nov. 76 80 35.8 35 0.2
Supplementary benefit Feb. 78 3,017 1,526 1,963 221.6
Non contributory invalidity pension:
For men and single women June 76 130 33.9 51 2.5
For married women(6) May 78 36 73
Attendance allowance Dec. 77 300 129.2 170 4.6
Invalid care allowance April 78 5.6 4
Mobility allowance May 78 71 8.2 20 1.1(7) 103 104
Industrial injury benefit June 76 50 246.2 277 28.3
Industrial disablement pension Sept. 76 202
Industrial death benefit Dec. 76 31
Child benefit increase(8) May 78 262 875 750 103
Family allowance/child benefit(9) May 78 7,149 544.3 28.8(11)
Child interim benefit(10) April 77 207
Family income supplement Feb. 78 94 17.6 25 1 176 244
War disablement Dec. 77 298 282.9 309 10
War widows or other dependants Dec. 77 99
New pensions scheme 51 226

Notes:

(1) Except for maternity and death grants, the figures in this column represent the number of recipients on the given date.

(2) Administration costs, which include the costs of other Government departments, are not available for later than 1976–77.

(3) Includes the major television advertising campaign normally run for the annual uprating of family income supplement; excludes the cost of printing leaflets.

(4) Total grants for 12 months ending March 1977.

(5) Total grants for 12 months ending June 1977.

(6) Introduced in November 1977.

(7) Mainly costs of work on the phased take-on of beneficiaries.

(8) Started in 1977–78.

(9) Child benefit replaced family allowance in April 1977.

(10) A temporary benefit for 1976–77 only.

(11) Includes cost of preparatory work on child benefit scheme.

The latest information on the take-up of cash benefits by families for which

Benefit Calendar year Estimated number entitled to claim Average number receiving benefit Estimated take-up Estimated unclaimed benefit
(thousands) (thousands) per cent. £million
Supplementary allowance 1976 1,600 1,260 79 170
Supplementary pension 1976 2,220 1,640 74 80
About About About
Family income supplement 1975 80 60 ¾ 1

Estimates are not available on the take up of other social security cash benefits.