§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the population exist at or below a level at which means-tested benefits become available; and what was the comparable figure in 1979.
§ Mr. PortilloThere is no single income level at which income-related benefits become available, since this varies both by benefit and by claimant. However, the 1983 and 1985 versions of "Low Income Families" (copies of which are in the Library) indicate the numbers receiving supplementary benefit and those below 100 per cent. of the supplementary benefit scale rates for the years requested. For a detailed discussion of this approach see "Low Income Statistics—Report Of A Technical Review" March 1988, and for alternative approaches see "Households Below Average Income: 1981–85," copies of which are also in the Library.