HC Deb 21 April 1993 vol 223 c141W
Mr. Knox

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish figures showing the numbers and percentages of families receiving one or more means-tested benefit in 1979 and the latest available year.

Mr. Burt

The information requested is in the table.

000s Per cent.
Benefit 1979 Recipients (Note 2) 1991 Recipients
Supplementary Benefit (SB)/ Income Support (IS) (including those with Housing Benefit (HB) and Community Charge Benefit (CCB)) (Note 8) 488 (6.8) 1,320 (19.5)
Family Income Supplement (FIS)/ Family Credit (FC) (including those with HB and CCB) 79 (1.1) 347 (5.1)
Housing Benefit (HB) (including those with CCB but not those with IS or FC) — 143 (2.1)
Community Charge Benefit (not including those with IS or FC or HB) — 99 (1.5)
All families in receipt of one or more means-tested benefits 567 (7.9) 1,909 (28.2)

Notes:

1. For the purposes of the answer, families are defined as couples or single people with children.

2. These figures represent the number in each category as a percentage of the total number of families in the population which is based on the number of Child Benefit recipients.

3. There are no overlaps between the categories of recipients shown, except for a small element of double counting between the SB/IS and FIS/FC figures.

4. There are no comparable statistics available for schemes similar to Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefit that existed in 1979.

5. The FIS figures for 1979 are for November of that year. All other figures are for May of the respective years.

6. All figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

7. In 1988 Income Support replaced Supplementary Benefit and Family Credit replaced Family Income Supplement.

8. This category includes a small number of people who were in remunerative work and receiving FC prior to being awarded IS. Family Credit will remain in payment until the end of the current award, but will not be renewed if IS remains in payment.

Source:

Supplementary Benefit—Annual Statistical Enquiry May 1979.

Income Support—Annual Statistical Enquiry May 1991.

Family Income Supplement—Table 32.05 Social Security Statistics 1980.

Family Credit—Family Credit Statistical System May 1991.

Housing Benefit/Community Charge Benefit—Management Information System (Annual 1 per cent. sample).