§ Miss MowlamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when his Department's leaflet "Which Benefit—FB2" is to be reprinted to incorporate the replacement of supplementary benefit and family income supplement by income support and family credit.
§ Mr. PortilloA new edition of leaflet FB2 "Which Benefit?" is being prepared for publication by April 1988. The new edition will cover references to all the new social security benefits, including family credit and income support, and give details on where further information on these benefits can be found.
§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of people partially dependent or totally dependent on(a) supplementary benefit, (b) housing benefit and (c) family income supplement in (i) Wales and (ii) the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Portillo[holding answer 15 January 1988]: The readily available information is as follows:
Income related benefit recipients, their partners and dependants Thousands Benefit Great Britain Wales Northern Ireland Supplementary benefit1 Number of recipients 4,938 291 184 Number of partners and dependants 3,353 207 188 Family income supplement2 Number of recipients 200 12 15 Number of partners and dependants 530 34 55 Standard housing benefit3 Number of recipients 3,730 170 67 Number of partners and dependants n/a n/a n/a 1 February 1986. 2 Summer 1986. 3 Autumn 1986. Notes:
1. n/a: Figures not available.
2. Recipients of one benefit may also be in receipt of another. For example, in the British figures, approximately 20,000 FIS recipients also receive supplementary benefit and about 120,000 FIS recipients also receive standard housing benefit.
3. Supplementary benefit recipients who are householders are also entitled to certificated housing benefit.
4. Supplementary benefit figures were obtained from annual statistical inquiries. FIS figures were obtained from administrative statistics and the figures on housing benefit are from the annual standard housing benefit inquiries and local authority returns. The 848W figure for the number of housing benefit recipients in Wales is for rate rebate and excludes a small number of people who receive rent rebate or rent allowance only.