§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list (a) the number of claimants and (b) the number of dependants, dependent on national assistance/supplementary benefit for each year since 1948.
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§ Mrs. ChalkerThe information is given in the following table:
GREAT BRITAIN (thousands) Year Claimants Dependants 1948 963 501 1949 -(1) -(1) 1950 1,285 630 1951 1,440 608 1952 1,636 754 1953 1,735 757 1954 1,778 716 1955 1,598 598 1956 1,637 627 1957 1,712 672 1958 1,649 712 1959 1,766 807 1960 1,857 821 1961 1,844 765 1962 2,007 968 1963 1,971 940 1964 1,961 813 1965 1,997 844 1966 -(1) -(1) 1967 2,559 1,289 1968 2,637 1,358 1969 2,688 1,409 1970 2,738 1,429 1971 2,909 1,655 1972 2,929 1,634 1973 2,675 1,347 1974 2,680 1,412 1975 2,793 1,641 1976 2,940 1,785 1977(2) 2,991 1,767 1978 2,929(3) -(4) (1) Information not available for 1949 and 1966.
(2) 1977 figures are not directly comparable with earlier years due to change in method of estimation.
(3) Provisional estimate.
(4) No estimate yet available.