HC Deb 07 June 1991 vol 192 cc350-1W
Mr. Andrew Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people living in residential and nursing homes are paid for by income support; and how many of these are over pension age.

Miss Widdecombe

The latest estimate of the number of people in receipt of income support in residential care and nursing homes is for August 1990, when the figure was 199,000. Information on how many of these were over pension age is not available but, as of May 1989, about 80 per cent. of income support recipients in such homes were over pension age.