§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what(a) amount and (b) proportion of total public spending on social security is accounted for by local authorities for each year since 1967–68 projected to 1990–91 in 1987–88 prices.
§ Mr. ScottExpenditure on housing benefit and its administration is the sole area of local authority spending within the social security budget. This expenditure became part of the social security programme from 1982 with the introduction of the housing benefit scheme. The table gives information on the programme in the form in which it was presented in the 1982 public expenditure White Paper, and subsequently.
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£ million at 1987–88 prices, Great Britain Amount of local authority expenditure Proportion of total social security expenditure Per cent. 1976—77 540 1.8 1977—78 590 1.9 1978—79 540 1.6 1979—80 530 1.6 1980—81 580 1.7 1981—82 790 2.1 11982—83 1,300 3.2 11983—84 3,060 7.3 1984—85 3,320 7.6 1985—86 3,460 7.7 1986—87 3,620 7.8 21987—88 3,760 8.1 21988—89 3,830 8.3 21989—90 3,920 8.3 21990—91 4,020 8.4 1 These increases reflect the introduction of the housing benefit scheme, which transferred responsibility for the housing costs of supplementary benefit claimants from central government to local authorities.
2 Figures for 1987–88 to 1990–91 are based on those published in January 1988 in the public expenditure White Paper, Cm. 288.