§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing the total number of applicants for (a) supplementary benefit and (b) unemployment benefit in Scotland in each year since 1979; and if he will show for each category what percentage of these applications were (i) accepted and (ii) rejected.
§ Mr. PortilloI regret that the information is not available in the precise form requested. The figures in the table are for the total number of claims made in Scotland and cover some people who have made more than one claim during a year. No figures are available showing the percentage of unemployment benefit claims which are successful.
114W
Unemployment benefit Claims Supplementary benefit April to March Claims Per cent, successful 1979 562,004 1979–80 621,548 77 1980 582,908 1980–81 608,020 75 1981 565,799 1981–82 622,205 75 1982 601,351 1982–83 641,893 78 1983 592,494 1983–84 663,219 79 1984 608,382 1984–85 656,024 81 1985 611,732 1985–86 652,019 74 1986 614,123 1986–87 652,434 71
§ Mrs. Beckettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many more people are expected to become entitled to each of the income-related benefits and to exemption from Health Service charges on low income grounds as a result of the proposed compensation for the 20 per cent. rates contribution.
§ Mr. ScottThe numbers entitled to income-related benefits from April 1988 will be dependent on the rates of benefit that will operate from then. These are still to he decided.