§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list for each region the latest estimate of the numbers claiming (a) supplementary benefit and (b) supplementary pensions: and if he will give the figures for 1979.
§ Mr. MajorThe table shows the number of people receiving(a) supplementary allowance and (b) supplementary pension in each region on 6 May 1986.
Supplementary Allowance Supplementary Pension Scotland 380,625 148,209 North East 549,110 254,294 North West 528,427 234,065 Midlands 567,520 266,274 Wales and Southwest 411,690 221,543 London North 527,098 281,704 London South 460,937 254,131 No direct comparison with 1979 can be made as a change in regional boundaries in 1982 reduced the total number of regions from 12 to seven.
The table shows the number of people receiving (a) supplementary allowance and (b) supplementary pension in each of the twelve regions on 15 May 1979.
Supplementary Allowance Supplementary Pension Scotland 145,312 147,693 Northern 94,629 107,073 Yorks and Humberside 117,958 169,720 Merseyside 113,026 111,709 North Western (Manchester) 87,068 127,388 West Midlands 126,331 160,288 East Midlands and East Anglia 105,441 155,299 Wales 85,236 95,412 South Western 88,516 129,743 London North 112,758 169,618 London West 98,864 135,689 London South 121,667 191,742 Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action.