§ Mr. Johnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was (i) the child dependency addition and (ii) the total child support, including child benefit payable in respect of each child, to a person (a) on a short-term and (b) on a long-term national insurance benefit in November of each year from 1979 to 1983; and what were the equivalent values at November 1983 prices.
620W
§ Mr. NewtonI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible after the retail price index for November 1983 has been published.
§ Mr. Johnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the average number of (a) short-term and (b) long-term national insurance beneficiaries receiving child dependency additions in benefit years 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1984–85, respectively; in each case, what is his estimate of the average number of children in respect of whom such additions are payable; and what are the equivalent numbers if those beneficiaries who are also claiming supplementary benefit are excluded.
§ Dr. BoysonThe estimated numbers of beneficiaries and children are as follows. Information about the number of beneficiaries also receiving supplementary benefit is not yet available for the years in question.
1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 Short term beneficiaries receiving child dependency additions 255,000 225,000 220,000 — Number of children 485,000 425,000 410,000 Long-term beneficiaries receiving child dependency additions 245,000 255,000 260,000 — Number of children 395,000 415,000 430,000
§ Mr. Johnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the extra benefit expenditure that would have been incurred in respect of (a) short-term and (b) long-term national insurance benefits in each benefit year from 1980–81 to 1983–84 if the method of uprating child dependency additions that was used in 1979 had also been used: (i) at the uprating of the start of the benefit year in question and (ii) at each uprating since 1979.
§ Dr. BoysonI shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Johnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what rate of child benefit would now be payable if total child support for a standard rate taxpayer with two children had increased since 1955 in line with (a) the single person's tax allowance and (b) the married man's allowance.
§ Mr. NewtonIn 1955, a person paying standard rate tax would attract a tax allowance made up of three elements, a personal allowance earned income relief and national insurance relief. The total amount of this allowance would vary according to the amount of the person's income. If child support had been increased in line with tax allowances since that date, the total amount of child benefit payable for a 2-child family would now be(a) based on the single person's allowances—between £5.64 and £11.54 and (b) based on the married man's allowances—between £7.57 and £12.57. However, these figures can be misleading because the standard rate of tax, and the level of earnings at which a person begins to pay standard rate tax, in 1983 are not directly comparable with their equivalents in 1955.
§ Mr. Johnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of recipients of (a) retirement pension, (b) invalidity benefit, (c) noncontributory invalidity pension and (d) other long-term benefits who would have lost entitlement to child dependency additions as a result of the Health and Social 621W Security Bill but for the provision that all current claimants should keep such additions; and what is the number of children in respect of whom benefit would be lost in each case.
§ Dr. BoysonOur best estimate is:
Benefit Number of recipients Number of children (a) Retirement pension Substantially less than 500 Substantially less than 500 (b) Invalidity Benefit Around 30,000 Around 70,000 (c) Non-contributory Invalidity pension Around 500 Around 1,000 (d) Other long-term benefits Insignificant numbers Insignificant numbers