HC Deb 04 April 1989 vol 150 cc165-6W
Mr. Battle

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing how many people were(a) eligible for and (b) in receipt of family credit in 1988–89, broken down into (i) employees and (ii)

Employees Self-employed Total
Eligible Receiving Receiving Receiving
October 1987
Forecast for 1988–891 2675,000 405,000 45,000 450,000
March 1989
Estimate for 1988 500,000 253,000 (actual) 24,000 (actual) 277,000 (actual)

Notes:

1 As revised to take account of the March 1988 Budget.

2 No direct estimate of the eligible population was made in October 1987, when a projection of the 1988–89 caseload was made on the assumption that the take up rate would be one fifth higher than the FIS take up rate. However, an eligible employee population of 675,000 would follow from the assumption of a FIS take up rate of 50 per cent.

Ms. Richardson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest estimate of the number of people receiving family credit; and how much he expects to spend on family credit in the financial year 1988–89.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

At the end of March 253,500 families were receiving family credit, and a further 47,000 claims were awaiting determination. The outturn of expenditure for 1988–89 is now expected to be slightly less than forecast in Cm. 615.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people would be entitled to family credit in 1989 if there was no compensation for free school meals or welfare milk in the child credit rates.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

[holding answer 20 March 1989]: A specific amount in respect of compensation for free school meals and free welfare milk and vitamins was included on a once-and-for-all basis in the child credit rates set at the start of the family credit scheme in April 1988 but, following the uprating, this element is no longer separately identifiable within the April 1989 rates. The information requested is therefore not available.

Firm Subject of assignment
Anderson Consulting Overseas Branch Computer Requirement
Anderson Consulting Operational Strategy Training Development
Anderson Consulting Benefit Branch Computerisation
Answerpoint Local Office Project
Applied Systems Engineering Local Office Project
Applied Systems Engineering Service Management Group
Applied Systems Engineering Central Design Authority
Applied Systems Engineering Family Credit Project
Arthur Young Integrated Complementing System
Arthur Young Performance Based Systems
Arthur Young Quality Assurance Package for Social Security Offices

self-employed, using the first assumption of eligibility and take-up made in October 1987 and the second assumption as described in his answer to the hon. Member for Bolton North-East (Mr. Thurnham), 17 March, Official Report, column 392.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The available information is shown in the table. Reliable estimates cannot be made of the numbers of self-employed people eligible for family credit.