HC Deb 13 March 1992 vol 205 cc770-1W
Mr. Ralph Howell

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the reduction in overall expenditure in all welfare benefits, with the exception of child benefit, if all the adult working population including those currently classified as unemployed were deemed to have earned £100 per week.

Mr. Jack

The outcome of the proposal outlined in i he question would not result in a benefit saving.

Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the average expenditure per claimant for each social security benefit at 1991–92 prices for each year since 1979; and what was the percentage increase or decrease each year.

Miss Widdecombe

The available information is in the tables. In considering this data, it must be borne in mind that wholly beneficial benefit enhancements can, by increasing beneficiary numbers, produce an apparent fall in real average payments whereas in reality household real income from social security can be higher—for example, the growing number of married women receiving pensions in their own right. For income-related benefits, amounts paid reflect other income and other benefits, and changes from year to year are the consequence of increases in various benefits made to reflect the Government's concern to help elderly and sick people and families.

7 Increase in 1988–89 reflects the introduction of family credit.
8 Includes expenditure on Department of the Environment and Welsh Office programmes in 1990–91 and 1991–92.
9 Reduction in 1991–92 reflects effects of the community charge rebate and reduction schemes.

Table 2
Percentage change over preceding year
1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92
Retirement Pension2 -2 -1 3 3 2 -2 2 2 -2 -4 0 0 5
Widows Benefit2 -3 -1 2 1 3 0 0 2 0 -2 -7 3 3
Unemployment Benefit -8 -5 -5 -8 2 0 2 0 -1 -4 -1 -3 6
Sickness Benefit -8 -5 -7 -14 6 -5 5 0 -3 -7 0 -2 1
Statutory Sick Pay3 — — — — — -3 0 3 -2 -6 1 -7 -8
Invalidity Benefit2 -2 -2 2 2 3 0 -1 2 -3 -3 -1 0 6
Industrial Disablement Benefit -3 0 4 0 3 0 -1 -3 -4 -9 -2 -1 0
Industrial Death Benefit -4 -1 2 1 1 -3 0 2 4 -18 -6 12 1
Maternity Allowance -11 -3 -7 -10 1 0 1 4 6 -1 -22 4 7
Statutory Maternity Pay — — — — — — — — — 21 -5 14 -4
Non-contributory RP -1 -2 -6 6 10 4 0 -24 8 -9 -9 -5 -4
War Pension -2 -2 8 3 4 2 5 4 0 -3 -1 6 4
Attendance Allowance -5 -1 4 2 3 1 0 1 -1 -4 0 0 4
Invalid Care Allowance4 -14 8 9 -38 19 5 12 210 -48 -30 -13 -11 3
Severe Disablement Allowance -4 1 7 2 5 6 7 -4 -2 -2 -1 10 23
Mobility Allowance -2 1 11 1 4 -10 4 8 -2 -3 2 0 5
Income Support/ Supplementary Benefit5 -4 3 16 8 -20 4 6 -2 -4 4 -1 6 9
Child Benefit (per child)5 36 -10 5 3 6 4 -1 -1 -2 -8 -6 -8 6
One Parent Benefit 31 3 4 3 6 2 1 3 -3 -4 0 3 -8
Family Credit/FIS7 2 11 9 1 3 -5 -2 14 4 60 -7 2 7
Rate Rebate5 4 4 16 -6 61 -2 9 4 4 -1 -4 — —
Rent Allowance5 -8 -7 19 2 77 8 9 13 0 18 7 12 11
Rent Rebate58 -1 2 20 -9 86 -1 3 2 1 14 6 0 1
Community Charge Benefit9 — — — — — — — — — — — 30 -44

Note: For footnotes see Table 1.