HC Deb 05 July 1991 vol 194 cc217-8W
Mr. Andrew Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will estimate the number of new claimants of income support in residential and nursing homes each year since 1985;

(2) if he will estimate the number of residents in residential and nursing homes who have ceased to claim income support each year since 1985.

Miss Widdecombe

Information is held on the total number of income support recipients in residential care and nursing homes. It is not possible to distinguish between new and existing claimants, but the following table shows how total numbers have increased in each year since 1985.

Number
December 1985 70,000
February 1986 90,000
May 1987 117,000

Number
May 1988 147,000
May 1989 176,000
May 1990 189,000

Mr. Andrew Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will estimate the number of residents in residential and nursing homes who will be in receipt of income support on 1 April 1993;

(2) on what basis he is estimating the cost of payments of income support to residents in residential and nursing homes from 1 April 1993.

Miss Widdecombe

Information about expected numbers of income support claimants as well as expenditure is published in the Public Expenditure White Paper (Cm 1014). It has never been the practice to make separate forecasts about any individual group within the planning totals.