Benefits

HC Deb 30 January 1989 vol 146 cc69-70W

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people over pensionable age in Great Britain have had their total social security benefits reduced to less than £1 per week as a result of changes to the housing benefit regulations.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

I regret this information is not available.

Mr. Frank Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the number of(a) claimants and (b) dependants on supplementary benefits income support for each year since 1979 for Great Britain, England, Wales and Scotland.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The information is as follows:

Number of claimants in receipt of Supplementary Benefit or Income Support
	Great Britain	England	Wales	Scotland
1979	2,855,000	2,396,000	172,000	286,000
1980	3,118,000	2,627,000	186,000	304,000
1981	3,723,000	3,131,000	221,000	371,000
1982	4,267,000	3,590,000	253,000	423,000
1983	4,349,000	3,649,000	260,000	440,000
1984	4,609,000	3,866,000	275,000	468,000
1986	4,938,000	4,141,000	291,000	506,000
1987	4,896,000	4,073,000	287,000	535,000
1988	4,354,000	3,596,000	259,000	499,000

Number of partners and dependent children of claimants in receipt of Supplementary Benefit or Income Support
	Great Britain	England	Wales	Scotland
1979	1,516,000	1,256,000	95,000	164,000
1980	1,745,000	1,465,000	104,000	177,000
1981	2,399,000	2,013,000	149,000	237,000
1982	2,803,000	2,348,000	173,000	281,000
1983	2,888,000	2,438,000	178,000	273,000
1984	3,119,000	2,618,000	198,000	304,000
1986	3,353,000	2,821,000	207,000	326,000
1987	3,309,000	2,789,000	194,000	327,000
1988	3,018,000	2,510,000	182,000	327,000

• Source for both tables:
• 1979–1987 Annual Statistical Enquiry.
• 1988 May Quarterly Statistical Inquiry.

Notes:

1. 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and may not therefore sum.
2. 2. There was no Annual Statistical Inquiry in 1985: the one due in December that year was deferred until February 1986.