§ Ms. Clare Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will provide figures identifying the components of the extra £3 to £3.5 billion, after allowing for increased expenditure on the unemployed and pensioners, of public expenditure on social security referred to by the Minister of State, Official Report,columns 533and 573,on 19 July.
§ Mr. WhitneyReal expenditure on social security benefits in 1983–84 was some £7.25 billion higher (at 1983–84 prices) than in 1978–79. Of this:
- (a)£2.75 billion arose from real increases in benefit rates
512 - (b) £1 billion from the increase in the number of pensioners
- (c) £3.25 billion from an increase in the number of unemployed people claiming benefit
- (d) £0.75 billion from increases in the number of people claiming because of long term sickness or disability
- (e) nearly £0.5 billion from increases in the number of single parents claiming benefit offset by reductions of
- (f) £0.75 billion reflecting the introduction of statutory sick pay and a decrease in the incidence of short term sickness
- (g) £0.5 billion from reductions in the number of widows and of children.
The remainder is the net effect of a number of other factors, including changes to the rules of eligibility, other policy changes and the introduction of housing benefit.