§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people were in receipt of supplementary benefit and what was the total number dependent on supplementary benefit, including dependants, at the latest available date; and if he will present these figures under the normal categories of claimants used in the social security statistics.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe following is the information at November 1979, the latest available date: 211W
212W213W
GB Thousand Supplementary pensions Unemployed Sick and disabled Supplementary allowances All Supplementary benefits All Pensions Retirement pensioners and NI widows aged 60 and over Others All allowances With Contributory benefit Without Contributory benefit With Contributory benefit Without Contributory benefit NI widows under age 60 One-parent families not included in the other groups others Number receiving Supplementary Benefits … … 2,855 1,723 1,626 97 1,132 80 486 52 155 19 306 32 Number of Claimants and dependants provided for … … 4,370 2,046 1,941 105 2,324 210 906 95 180 25 855 54
§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many unemployed claimants had been receiving supplementary benefit for over a year at the latest date available; and if he will give an estimate of the likely number by the end of 1980.
§ Mrs. ChalkerAs at November 1979, there were 199,000 such claimants. Preliminary indications are that the numbers will not be significantly different at the end of 1980.
§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of how much less will be paid out in lump sum grants for clothing and shoes as a result of the new supplementary benefit regulations.
§ Mrs. ChalkerIn costing the supplementary benefit reforms, no allowance has been made for any reduction in expenditure on single payments for exceptional needs. The conditions for making such payments have never previously been set out in regulations and the results of doing so cannot be judged until the regulations have been in operation for some time. Various factors will affect the amounts paid for clothing and shoes and it is impossible to predict whether or by how much this expenditure may be reduced.
§ Miss Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost of paying the long-term supplementary benefit rate to the unemployed after a year on supplementary benefit at 1980–81 benefit rates.
§ Mrs. ChalkerAbout £65 million at the benefit rates current during the 1980– 81 financial year.