HC Deb 20 January 1981 vol 997 cc136-7W
Mr. Carter-Jones

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be the cost of extending the long-term rate of supplementary benefit to people who are required to attend at an employment benefit office only quarterly.

Mrs. Chalker

Approaching £20 million at current benefit rates, using November 1979 statistics and assuming that claimants were to qualify for the long-term scale rate at the same time as it was decided that they need attend an unemployment benefit office only quarterly to register for work.

Mr. Stallard

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many men and women aged 75 years and over are in receipt of supplementary benefit.

Mrs. Chalker

About 850,000 (183,000 men and 666,000 women) including the wives of beneficiaries. These and related data may be found in "Social Security Statistics, 1980" at tables 34.73, 34.75 and 34.77, which is held in the Library.