§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total amount(a) spent, (b) estimated to be spent and (c) planned to be spent on social security in Northern Ireland in actual and at 1989 prices for each of the years 1978–79 to 1992–93; what was the cash and real terms percentage increase for each year; and what is his estimate of each year's increase accounted for by (i) an increase in the number of claimants and (ii) a real terms increase in benefit levels.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 29 January 1990]: The total amounts of social security expenditure in Northern Ireland for the years in question are set out in the table:
341W
£ million (cash) Actual percentage increase annually £ millions (1989 prices) Real terms percentage increase annually 1978–79 494 20.5 1,162 8.8 1979–80 590 19.4 1,189 2.3 1980–81 717 21.5 1,221 2.7 1981–82 865 20.6 1,341 9.8 1982–83 995 15.0 1,439 7.3 1983–84 1,084 8.9 1,498 4.1 1984–85 1,190 9.8 1,566 4.5 1985–86 1,298 9.1 1,621 3.5 1986–87 1,412 8.8 1,706 5.3 1987–88 1,492 5.7 1,712 0.4 1988–89 1,556 4.3 1,665 -2.8 1989–90 1,698 9.1 1,698 2.0 1990–91 1,860 9.5 1,771 4.3 1991–92 2,017 8.4 1,856 4.8 1992–93 2,124 5.3 1,897 2.2 The cash expenditure column shows amounts spent for the years 1978/79 to 1988/89, the latest available forecast for the current year 1989/90 and planned expenditure for 1990/91 onwards.
The percentage increases in real terms mainly reflect the ever increasing number of beneficiaries. An accurate breakdown between this increase and the real terms increase in benefit levels is not readily available.