§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentages of children in Northern Ireland aged(a) under five years, (b) five to 11 years and (c) 12 to 15 years live in families receiving (i) income support and (ii) family credit; and what were the figures in each year since 1978–79.
§ Mr. AncramThe available information is provided in the tables below. For supplementary benefit/income support, the information requested is not collated in the age group 5–11 but in the age group 5–10. Separate figures are not available for the years 1980 to 1983. No age breakdown is available for children in families receiving family income supplement/family credit.
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Family Income Supplement and Family Credit Number 1 and proportion2 of children in families receiving FIS/Family Credit Year Type of benefit Number Proportion (percentage) 1978 Family Income Supplement 30,402 6 1979 Family Income Supplement 27,493 6 1980 Family Income Supplement 28,857 6 1981 Family Income Supplement 36,378 8 1982 Family Income Supplement 38,734 8 1983 Family Income Supplement 39,557 8 1984 Family Income Supplement Figures not available 1985 Family Income Supplement 42,613 9 1986 Family Income Supplement 41,322 9 1987 Family Income Supplement 40,399 9 1988 Family Credit3 34,897 8 1989 Family Credit 36,204 8 1990 Family Credit 35,073 8 1991 Family Credit 37,294 8 1992 Family Credit 42532 9 1993 Family Credit Figures not yet available 1 Includes dependent children up to 19 years of age. 2 As percentage of the total number of children for whom Child Benefit is received. 3 Family Credit replaced Family Income Supplement on 11 April 1988.