§ Ms. MowlamTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing the total deductions made from(a) invalidity benefit, (b) child benefit, (c) widow's benefit, (d) supplementary benefit, (e) unemployment benefit, (f) sickness benefit and (g) retirement pensions in each year from 1979 to 1989 under the Payment for Debt (Emergency Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 20 June 1989]: The information requested for the year 1989–90 is estimated as follows:
133W
Financial year 1989–90 £'s Income support 245,280.97 Child benefit 6,773.19 Unemployment benefit 6,553.67
Financial year 1989–90 £'s Sickness benefit 991.33 Invalidity benefit 46,862.64 Retirement benefit 29,805.48 Widow's benefit 14,660.93 Severe disablement allowance (effective from April 1988) 94.47 For earlier years I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 October 1988 at column 137.
The figures are not however directly comparable with the earlier figures because the effect from April 1988 the 134W major proportion of deductions from benefits against arrears of rent, rates, electricity and gas charges are made under the provisions of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (NI) 1987. The figures relate only to deductions, which have been made in 1988–89 under the Payment for Debt (Emergency Provisions) Act (NI) 1971. The interim information given for 1988–89 in the answer on 25 October 1988 was compiled on the basis used in the years up to and including 1987–88 as the data had not at that stage been refined.