§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make available in the Library copies of papers prepared by his Department showing costings and estimates which led to the calculation that the number of disabled married women applying for the non-contributory invalidity pension would result in a yearly cost of £23 million.
§ Mr. Alfred Morris:The figure of £23 million is based upon the Government Actuary's calculation that the number of women receiving housewives' non-contributory invalidity pension, which was 34,000 in April 1978, would rise to 45,000 in the last quarter of 1979 and would have risen to 42,750 by March 1979. He also calculated that the average number in payment during the 1978-79 year would be 39,000 and that, between the up-rating of benefits in November 1978 and the end of the year, the average would be 41,500.
Applying these figures to the appropriate benefit rates-33 weeks at £10 .50 per week and 19 weeks at £11.70 per week—and making allowances for the arrears which are due with most awards, it was calculated that housewives' noncontributory invalidity pension would cost £23 million in 1978–79.