§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give for the latest available date for each year since its introduction the numbers claiming home responsibilities protection because they (a) spend at least 35 hours a week looking after someone who gets attendance allowance or (b) get supplementary benefit so that they can look after an elderly or sick person at home.
§ Mr. RossiThe relevant information, which has been collected since 1979, is not available in the precise form requested, but is as follows:
1979–80 1980–81 1. People claiming Home Responsibilities Protection because they spend more than 35 hours a week looking after someone in receipt of Attendance Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance. 322 572 2. Awards of HRP to people in categories other than 1, and excluding awards made automatically to people claiming child benefit* 6,874 9,369 * In practice the vast majority of this group will be claiming supplementary benefit because they are needed to look after an elderly or sick relative at home; but the award of HRP to such people is automatic and no separate statistics are kept for them.