§ Sir Ian GilmourTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) further to his reply to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle)Official Report, 22 February, column 679, if he will reformulate the figures, in order to show the amounts of support received in 1978–79 and 1988–89 by the following categories (a) support for all children (family allowance/child benefit/child tax allowances), (b) support restricted to lone-parents (one-parent benefit, additional personal allowance, supplementary benefit/income support, housing benefit, and family income supplement/family credit paid to lone parents), (c) child additions paid with national insurance benefits, (d) child additions paid with supplementary benefit/income support for two-parent families and (e) family income supplement/family credit paid to two-parent families;
(2) further to the holding answer to the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham dated 3 May, when he proposes to answer the question for priority written answer which appeared as No. 10 on the Order Paper for that day.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe latest available information is set out in the table. It is inappropriate to use this information to make direct comparisons between levels and changes in expenditure for lone parents and couples with children because the original estimates excluded income support and housing benefit for couples with children and therefore did not include increased expenditure resulting from higher unemployment. Total estimates of expenditure on unemployed couples with children are not readily available. Child additions did not form part of the original estimate given on 22 February and have therefore been excluded.
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£ million Categories 1978–79 cash 1978–79 real 1988–89 cash/real Support for all children Child Benefit 1,776 3,872 4,522 Child Tax Allowance 515 1,123 — Family Income Supplement/Family Credit paid to two-parent families 14 31 242 Support for Lone Parents One Parent Benefit 22 48 174 Additional Personal Tax Allowance 60 131 165 Supplementary Benefit/Income Support 465 1,019 1,850 Housing Benefit 25 55 740 Family Income Supplement/Family Credit 10 22 180 Expenditures
The expenditure estimates of family support shown in the table are consistent with those given in Table 15.8 of the 1989 Expenditure Plans. These do not include expenditure on housing benefit and income support for couples with children. Estimates of this expenditure for 1988–89 will become available when the 1988 annual statistical enquiry is published.
§ Mr. Allen McKayTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total spending on social security benefits in 1979 at today's prices; and what is the present total spending.
§ Mr. Peter LloydOn current plans social security spending will be £51.1 billion in 1989–90, an increase in real terms of 34 per cent. over the figure in 1978–79, which at today's prices was £38 billion.
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§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the numbers of people who have been transferred from unemployment to sickness benefit over the last three years.
§ Mr. Peter LloydAn estimate of the number of claims for sickness and invalidity benefit which followed a claim for unemployment benefit in the last three years for which figures are available is shown in the table.
Claims for sickness benefit 1 invalidity benefit following claims for unemployment benefit Year ending Number 2 April 1988 236,000 4 April 1987 220,000 5 April 1986 203,000