§ Mr. Reidasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children were being brought up in Scotland in families dependent on supplementary benefit in each of the past five years.
§ Mr. DeakinsThe information is not available for years prior to 1975, and that for 1978 is not yet available. The information for 1975–77 is as follows:
Date and Number of dependent children of supplementary benefit recipients in Scotland 3 December 1975 … 117,000 1 December 1976 … 126,000* 30 November 1977 … 122,000† * Approximation due to industrial action at some offices. †Not directly comparable with earlier years due to a change in the method of estimation.