§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many and what proportion of family income supplement beneficiaries are paying income tax; and how these figures will be affected by the Budget Statement and the social security benefits uprating statement.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinI regret that information is not available in the form requested. As the hon. Member will know from past replies, it is not possible to say how many families receiving family income supplement are actually paying tax at any particular time.
Of the 88,000 families receiving FIS in October 1980, the latest available figure, about 62,000, or 70 per cent., had weekly incomes at the time of their claim that exceeded the 1980–81 tax threshold. Had the tax threshold been 10 per cent. lower at this time, this number would have been some 10,000 higher. On this basis, the decision not to raise tax thresholds in 1981–82 in line with inflation can be expected to have a comparable impact. Other 184W measures in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget and my uprating statement hardly affect this estimate. —[Vol. 1,000, c. 757–83; c. 891–903.]