§ 42. Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the numbers of people in receipt of supplementary benefit who are of working age, are not disabled and are not actively seeking work.
§ 58. Mr. Squireasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consequences he anticipates from the abolition in the current year of a number of single payments to supplementary benefit claimants; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonI refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Mr. Shepherd) on 24 February 1986 at columns476–78; we estimate that the proposals to amend the single payments regulations, currently being consdered by the Social Security Advisory Committee, would bring back expenditure to about the 1984 level.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many households in the London borough of Newham receive supplementary benefit; what were the numbers in each of the last six years; and what percentage of the total number of such households the latest figure represents.
§ Mr. MajorThe London borough of Newham is covered by three of the Departments offices, Canning Town, Plaistow and Woodgrange park, but their boundaries are not conterminous.
Information about the number of households receiving supplementary benefit is not available. The following figures show the total number of people claiming supplementary benefit from those offices at 11 February 1986 and at comparable dates for the last six years. There will in some circumstances be more than one claimant in a household.
Years Numbers 1980 17,113 1981 19,643 1982 23,853 1983 26,788 1984 28,127 1985 30,552 1986 31,897 This Department has no information on the total number of households in Newham.