§ Mr. Nellistasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give, for a single person, the basic rate of unemployment and supplementary benefits, broken down to component amounts and the areas those amounts are intended to cover.
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§ Mr. LyellThe standard weekly rate of unemployment benefit is £31.45 for a person under pension age. This benefit is intended to provide a measure of compensation for loss of earnings for people who become unemployed and is not related to a claimant's needs or requirements.
The principal basic weekly rates of supplementary benefit for a single unemployed person are as follows:
Circumstances Rate £ 1. Householder; 30.40 2. Member of someone else's household; aged 18 years and over 24.35 3. Member of someone else's household; aged 16–17 years 18.75 These rates are not made up of separately calculated component parts but are composite amounts intended to cover all items of normal expenditure on day-to-day living expenses. It is for the claimant to decide how much is allocated to particular areas of expenditure.
§ Mr. Wallaceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the total number of claimants applying to his Department for benefit resident in (a) Orkney and (b) Shetland for each year from 1979 to 1986.
§ Mr. LyellSeparate figures are not available for Orkney and Shetland, nor are they available prior to 1983–84. The total number of benefit claims made by residents in Orkney and Shetland are included in the figures for the Lerwick and Wick offices as follows:
Lerwick ILO Benefit Claims received Benefit 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 Sickness/Invalidity benefit 489 439 555 353 Injury Benefit 15 — — — Maternity Benefit 276 194 235 255 1Retirement Pension 669 1,304 1,091 922 Widows Benefit 14 22 23 47 Death Grants 230 226 239 208 Disablement Benefit 7 18 7 8 Non-Contributory Invalidity Pension 7 31 — — Severe Disablement Allowance — — 12 5 1Supplementary Benefit 1,488 1,802 1,616 1,662
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Wick ILO Benefit Claims received Benefit 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 Sickness/Invalidity Benefit 341 1,061 1,226 876 Injury Benefit — — — — Maternity Benefit 194 327 440 465 1Retirement Pension 1,121 2,429 3,520 3,119 Widows Benefit 23 55 81 77 Death Grants 206 392 767 675 Disablement Benefit 1 6 18 22 Non-Contributory Invalidity Pension 5 22 — — Severe Disablement Allowance — — 66 20 1Supplementary Benefit 5,172 5,390 5,499 5,182 1 Decisions processed not claims received.
§ Mr. Allan Stewartasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are his latest estimates of family income supplement and housing benefit take-up.
§ Mr. LyellI have today placed in the Library copies of reports presenting take-up estimates for Family Income Supplement in 1983–84 and Housing Benefit in 1984. Full explanations are included of the methods and assumptions used in the estimates. Copies of the reports are also available on request from DHSS at Room 536A, New Court. 48 Carey Street, London WC2A 2LS, Telephone Number 01–831–6111 extension 2556.