§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the total number of supplementary benefit, income support and family support recipients and the total cost for each year since 1979 to the latest date available.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe information requested is in the table.
Supplementary Benefit/Income Support1 and Family Income Supplement/Family Credit1: Recipients and expenditure Recipients (000's) Expenditure (£ million) IS/ Supplementary Benefit1 FC/FIS IS/ Supplementary Benefit FC/FIS 1978–79 3,020 85 2,256 24 1979–80 2,920 80 2,436 27 1980–81 3,110 95 3,172 42 1981–82 3,725 125 4,840 66 1982–83 4,165 165 6,261 94 1983–84 4,435 200 5,591 123 1984–85 4,665 205 6,444 126 1985–86 4,765 205 7,377 130 1986–87 5,095 215 7,962 161 1987–88 5,020 220 7,952 180 1988–89 4,310 280 7,575 394 1989–90 4,155 305 7,675 425 1990–91 4,165 315 8,545 484 Source: Public Expenditure White Papers and Departmental Report 1991.
1In April 1988 Supplementary Benefit was replaced by Income Support, and Family Income Supplement was replaced by Family Credit.
§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the central Government expenditure on rent rebates, rent allowances, rate rebates and family credit in 1979 and 1990; and what was the income level at which these benefits cease and the number of persons in receipt of such benefits in each year.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe information available is in the table. In 1979–80 help with housing costs was provided through the supplementary benefit scheme administered by the Department of Health and Social Security, and the 97W rent and rate rebate and rent allowance schemes which were the responsibility of the Department of the Environment. The costs and numbers getting help with housing costs through supplementary benefit are not readily available. The figures for 1979–80 therefore represent Department of the Environment schemes only.
The expenditure data shown for 1979–80 reflect total local authority spending. This was subsidised at the rate of 90 per cent. The 1990–91 figures are the amount of the central Government grant paid to local authorities through housing benefit subsidy. Direct comparison of the two sets of figures would be misleading because of the limited nature of the information for 1979–80.
The income level at which eligibility to family income supplement/credit and housing/community charge benefit ceases depends on the size of the household. Additionally in the latter two benefits the level of eligible costs affects entitlement. There is therefore no single income level at which entitlement would cease.
Expenditure £ million Caseload (Thousands)1 1979–80 Rent rebate 238 1,205 Rent allowance 40 220 Rate rebate2 201 3,065 Family income supplement3 27 80 1990–91 Rent rebate 4510 3,030 Rent allowance 1,549 975 Community charge benefit2 2,192 7,795 Family credit3 484 315 Notes:
1 Estimated average numbers receiving benefits at any one time. For family income supplement/family credit and community charge benefit couples are counted as one. For rent and rate rebates and rent allowances the number of households receiving benefit is shown. Beneficiaries may be receiving more than one benefit at any time.
Thousands 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–921 Rent rebate — 1,930 1,920 — — — 1,760 1,670 1,780 Rent allowance — 520 540 — — — 580 610 590 Rate rebate/community charge benefit 3,070 3,200 3,190 3,400 3,320 2,920 3,020 3,230 — 1 Forecast. Notes:
(1) The available data relates to claimants only, not dependants.
(2) The figures partially overlap as eg. some people who get a rent allowance also get community charge benefit.
(3) No forecast has yet been made of community charge benefit caseload for 1991–92 because of the recent general reduction in charges.
§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are dependent on(a) income support, (b) family credit and (c) housing benefit, broken down into claimants, dependants and children for (i) the parliamentary constituency of Greenock and Port Glasgow, (ii) Inverclyde district council area, (iii) Strathclyde and (iv) Scotland as a whole.
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 14 March 1991]: Income support and family credit information for the parliamentary constituency of Greenock and Port Glasgow and the Inverclyde district council area or in respect of the number of partners or children is unavailable and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Information in respect of Greenock and Port Glasgow local offices, Strathclyde and Scotland is as follows:
98W2 Rate rebate in 1979–80, community charge benefit in 1990–91.
3 Family income supplement in 1979–80, family credit in 1990–91.
4 From 1990–91, most central Government support for rent rebates appears in the Department of the Environment and Welsh Office programmes, as rent rebate subsidy in England and Wales will be paid from local authorities housing revenue accounts. The amounts for 1990–91 are:
- Rent Rebates (England) £2,297 million
- Rent Rebates (Wales) £158 million.
§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total number of people claiming sickness and invalidity benefit at the latest date available; and what was the number of people claiming sickness and invalidity benefit in March 1979 and 1989.
§ Mr. ScottThe total number of people claiming sickness or invalidity benefit at 28 February 1991, the latest date available, is 1,690,0001. This total is provisional and subject to amendment.
The total number of people claiming sickness or invalidity benefit on 31 March 1979 was 1,289,0002; and on 1 April 1989 was 1,392,0002.
- 1 Source—local office caseload count.
- 2 Source—Social Security Statistics.
§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will state the total number of supplementary benefit recipients, including dependents, as defined for community charge purposes for each year since 1979;
(2) what was the total number of persons dependent on both social security and housing rebates in (a) 1979–80, (b) 1984–85, (c) 1985–86, (d) 1989–90, (e) 1990–91, for the latest date available, and the forecast for 1991–92.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe information available is listed in the tables. No reliable data exist for the period before 1983–84 on numbers of claimants who got both supplementary benefit and help with housing or rate costs.
Greenock and Port Glasgow Strathclyde Scotland Income support1 15,940 284,900 506,900 Family credit 21,010 216,200 339,000 1 Data derived from February 1991 count of cases in action, which include a number where payment has ceased but other action is continuing. Data are provisional and subject to amendment. 2 Number of awards actually in payment on 8 February 1991, i.e. excludes awards on claims made before that date but not decided at that stage. 3 True caseload at the end of July 1990, i.e. including backdated awards. Information on this more comprehensive basis is only available for Scotland as a whole. Housing benefit information for the parliamentary constituency of Greenock and Port Glasgow or in respect of the number of children is unavailable and could be 99W obtained only at disproportionate cost. The information in respect of Inverclyde district council area, Strathclyde and Scotland is as follows:
Inverclyde direct council1 Strathclyde1 Scotland Claimants2 11,900 266,000 544,000 Partners2 33,400 375,000 3153,000 1 Does not include information about New Towns or Scottish Homes properties. 2 Data relates to August 1990. 3 Partially estimated.