HC Deb 18 November 1982 vol 32 cc281-2W
Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will update the answer he gave on 28 January, Official Report, column 433, outlining expenditure savings to the social security budget in respect of 1982–83.

Mr. Newton

The approximate effect on planned social security expenditure in 1982–83 which is expected to be about £32,000 million, of savings from social security changes made by the Government since 1979 is estimated to be of the following order:

£ million
Social Security Act 1980
(i) Keeping pensions and long-term benefits in line with prices rather than with the higher of prices or earnings 500
(ii) Deferring uprating by two weeks 100
Social Security (No. 2) Act 1980
(i) Five per cent. abatement (of UB, SB, MA, IB and IVB) 500
(ii) 'Freezing' Retirement Pensioners' Earnings rule
(iii) Changes to 'waiting days' and linking
(iv) Abolition of earnings related supplement
(v) Abatement of unemployment benefit for occupational pensioners over 60
(vi) Reduction of supplementary benefit for strikers' families
Social Security Act 1981
Recovery of 1 per cent. "overshoot" on social security benefits 200
Measures not requiring primary legislation
Uprating national insurance child dependency additional by legal minimum 50
Changeover to four-weekly payment of child benefit 40
Cessation of child benefit for a young person starting work or a course, for example, under the youth opportunities programme 10
Change in the basis of uprating supplementary benefit (effective from week commencing 22 November 1982) 10