§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (a) how many single payments have been made under regulation 28 of the Supplementary Benefit (Single Payments) Regulations for each year since November 1981 to the following categories of claimants: (i) pensioners, (ii) unemployed, (iii) sick and disabled, (iv) single parents and (v) others, (b) the cost by year and on average for each category, (c) how many of these payments have been made to the long-term unemployed, (d) how much the Government expect to save by their abolition and (e) what is the margin of error which should be taken into account in the figures.
§ 3. Mr. Nellistasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, if he will state (a) how many single payments have been made under regulation 28 of the Supplementary Benefit (Single Payments) Regulations for each year since November 1981 to the following categories of claimants: (i) pensioners, (ii) unemployed, (iii) sick and disabled, (iv) single parents and (v) others; (b) what was the cost, by year and on average for each category, (c) how many of
Single Payments: Regulation 28 Total Amount Average Payment Number of awards by category of claimant (nearest hundred) Year Paid (£000's) £ Pensioners Unemployed Sick and Disabled Single Parent Other Total 1981 136 53.66 † 1,200 † * † 2,500 1982 448 34.60 6,000 3,000 1,100 2,500 † 13,000 1983 183 40.33 * 1,500 † 1,700 † 4,500 1984 184 52.23 * 1,100 * 1,000 † 3,500 Source: Annual Statistical Enquiries
Notes
1. The ASE data are derived from an analysis of a sample of cases and are therefore subject to "sampling error". Where the number of cases is less than 1,000 the effect of "sampling error" may be quite large. Further information can be found in the "Introduction to the Annual Statistical Enquiry", (particularly page 3 "Single Payments", and page 5 "Sampling Effects") a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.
2. The Current regulation 28 was regulation 26 at the time of the 1981 ASE
*less than 1,000
4. †less than 500
5. Rows may not sum to total due to rounding.
6. The information in the table relates to single payments made in the 12 months preceding the date of the Annual Statistical Enquiry to those in receipt of benefit at the time of the inquiry. As a result it does not record all the single payments made during the year.