§ 14. Miss Wrightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the figures for young people aged 16, 17 and 18 years respectively, receiving supplementary benefit on 1 October 1981 and at the most recent convenient date.
§ Mr. Newton:Information on supplementary benefit claimants analysed by age in the manner requested is collected in December each year. For the two most recent years the figures to the nearest thousand are: in December 1980, 71,000 16-year-olds, 69,000 17-year-olds, and 61,000 18-year-olds; and in December 1981, 63,000 16-year-olds, 103,000 17-year-olds and 97,000 18-yearolds. Young people whose requirements are still aggregated with those of their parents are excluded.