§ Mr. Frank FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of people and the number of dependants covered thereby claiming supplementary benefit in 1979 and the latest available date.
§ Mr. PortilloThe information is as follows:
Thousands November 1979 May 1987 Number of claimants 2,855 4,860 Number of partners 561 1,063 Number of dependants under 19 955 2,240 Total dependent on supplementary benefit 4,370 8,164 Note: The figures for November 1979 are derived from the annual statistical inquiry. The figures for May 1987, which are the latest available and are provisional, are derived from the quarterly statistical inquiry. The two sets of figures are therefore not strictly comparable.