HC Deb 03 June 1991 vol 192 cc116-7W
Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the scale rate for supplementary benefit or income support for a single adult for each year since 1970; by what percentage this was increased each year; and what are the percentage increases in national average earnings and in the retail prices index for each of those years.

Miss Widdecombe

[holding answer 20 May 1991]: The information requested is in the table and is given for each uprating date, rather than for each year; percentage increase columns show the change between each date. Comparisons between the uprating increases (column C) and the RPI and earnings increases (columns D and E) are

A Benefit Uprating Date B Benefit Rate C Percentage Increase in 'B' D Earnings Percentage Increase E RPI Percentage Increase
2 November 1970 5.20 — — —
20 September 1971 5.80 11.5 7.5 8.0
2 October 1972 6.55 12.9 15.7 8.5
1 October 1973 7.15 9.2 11.6 9.9
22 July 1974 8.40 17.5 14.2 13.5
7 April 1975 9.60 14.3 20.2 17.7
17 November 1975 10.90 13.5 11.5 11.7
15 November 1976 12.70 16.5 12.5 15.0
14 November 1977 14.50 14.2 9.3 13.0
13 November 1978 15.55 7.2 14.9 8.1
12 November 1979 18.30 17.7 19.1 17.4
24 November 1980 21.30 16.4 18.4 15.3
23 November 1981 23.25 9.2 10.7 12.0
22 November 1982 25.70 10.5 7.4 6.3
21 November 1983 26.80 4.3 7.3 4.8
26 November 1984 28.05 4.7 8.7 4.9
25 November 1985 29.50 5.2 6.5 5.5
28 July 1986 29.80 1.0 5.7 1.7
6 April 1987 30.40 2.0 6.2 4.4
11 April 1988 33.40 9.9 9.7 3.9
10 April 1989 34.90 4.5 9.6 8.0
9 April 1990 36.70 5.2 9.7 9.4
8 April 1991 39.65 8.0 — 6.4

Notes:

Column B—shows the Supplementary Benefit basic single householder scale rate for the years 1970–87 excluding housing costs. These were paid through Supplementary Benefit until 1982–83 (not included in the scale rates) and then paid via Housing Benefit. From April 1988 the figures are the Income Support basic personal allowance for a single person over 25. No Supplementary Benefit additional requirements or Income Support premiums for special needs have been included.

Column C—shows the percentage increase from one uprating date to the next. This will not necessarily reflect the uprating index for that year because of rounding. Also in the earlier years uprating was calculated by forecasting likely changes in the RPI and this sometimes meant that adjustments had to be made the following year.

Column D—gives the percentage increase in the average gross weekly earnings of all adult males form the New Earnings Survey. The figure for April 1991 is not yet available.

Column E—Shows the actual movement in the Retail Price Index for all items between uprating dates.