§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to the
Unemployment benefit Supplementary benefit Living with parents As tenant of council flat Amount £ In real terms expressed as an index* Scale rate £ In real terms expressed as an index† Scale rate £ In real terms expressed as an index† 1 April 1979 15.75 100.0 12.45 100.0 15.55 100.0 1 April 1980 18.50 96.5 14.65 97.8 18.30 97.8 1 April 1981 20.65 96.1 17.05 102.4 21.30 102.4 1 April 1982 22.50 95.7 18.60 102.9 23.25 103.0 1 April 1983 25.00 102.2 20.55 108.5 25.70 108.7 1 April 1984 27.05 105.2 21.45 108.2 26.80 108.3 1 April 1985 28.45 103.5 22.45 107.6 28.05 107.7 1 April 1986 30.45 ‡— 23.60 ‡— 29.50 ‡— * Based on the movement in the retail price index (all items) between April 1979 and the dates shown. † Based on the movement in the retail price index (less housing) between April 1979 and the dates shown. ‡ Information for 1986 not yet available. As these figures are based on comparisons between dates other than uprating dates, they may be misleading. An unemployed person may be entitled to either unemployment benefit or supplementary benefit or a combination of both. Supplementary benefit can be increased to cater for certain additional expenses such as extra heating. A tenant of a council flat could also be entitled to housing benefit, and a 22-year-old claimant living with his parents receiving supplementary benefit on the dates in the question would be entitled to a contribution towards housing costs.
86Wnumber of occasions on which requests for organ donation were refused by next-of-kin or close relatives in the past 12 months.
§ Mr. WhitneyWe have no information on this.
§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many deaths of persons aged between 20 and 65 years occurred during the past 12 months; and how many of those he estimates might have been suitable as kidney or other organ donors.
§ Mr. WhitneyIn 1984, the most recent year for which figures are available, the number of deaths of persons aged between 20 and 65 in the United Kingdom was 133,372. It is estimated that about 2,000 patients die in the United Kingdom each year in circumstances where brain death might be diagnosed. Patients who are diagnosed as brain dead may be suitable as organ donors but we do not have a breakdown into age groups of these 2,000 patients. As part of our campaign to increase the number of donor organs becoming available for transplantation we are considering supporting a study which would seek to establish how many brain deaths occur and what might be done to increase the proportion where organ donation procedures are initiated.