§ Ms CorstonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will specify the annual income entitlement, supplementary benefit or income support, excluding housing benefit for(a) a single unemployed person aged 24 years and (b) a man and a woman both aged 34 years with two children aged 12 and 11 years, for each year since 1979, at April 1994 prices on the Rossi index.
§ Mr. BurtThe figures requested are in the attached table.
Part of our policy in replacing supplementary benefit was to target benefit on those groups most in need, and we succeeded. Since 1988 we have given extra help, over and above normal upratings, to families with children. The income support rates for single people aged 18 to 24 take account of the fact that the vast majority live as members of someone else's household.
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A Financial year B Single unemployed 24 year old C 34 year old couple with children aged 11 and 12 1979–80 1,974.53 4,868.14 1980–81 2,012.82 5,124.23 1981–82 2,064.88 5,467.05 1982–83 2,118.34 5,606.61 1983–84 2,182.33 5,773.89 1984–85 2,185.28 5,782.62 1985–86 2,188.14 5,790.91 1986–87 2,208.75 5,852.50 1987–88 2,185.95 5,792.06 1988–89 1,790.41 6,171.93 1989–90 1,785.39 6,255.39 1990–91 1,750.05 6,164.66 1991–92 1,764.48 6,205.64 1992–93 1,829.63 6,463.59 1993–94 1,838.64 6,495.98 Notes:
Column B—shows for 1979 to 1988 the annual supplementary benefit entitlement, at 1994 prices, for a single householder. From April 1988 the figures are the annual entitlement to income support, at 1994 prices, for a single unemployed person aged 18–24. No additions which might have been payable within supplementary benefit or income support premiums for special needs have been included.
Column C—shows for 1979–88 the annual supplementary benefit entitlement, at 1994 prices, for a couple (aged 18 or over) with two children aged 11 and 12. From April 1988 the figures are the annual income support entitlement, at 1994 prices, for the same family composition. No additions which might have been payable within supplementary benefit have been included. The income support figures included the family premium which is paid automatically.
The Rossi index (ie the retail prices index less housing costs) has been used to revalue at 1994 prices because there is no housing element in the entitlement shown.
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were claiming income support in Scotland, Wales and for each of the standard English regions for the most recent date for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the total number of partners and dependants of those income support recipients in each area.
§ Mr. BurtThe information is in the table.
Number of Claimants 000s Number of Partners 000s Number of Dependents 000s North East 839 153 464 North West 812 127 455 Midlands 912 178 530 London North 1,018 189 595 London South 915 155 511 South West 411 77 210 Wales 312 55 174 Scotland 553 79 268 Total 5,771 1,013 3,207 Notes:
1. Source: Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry August 1993
2. Figures are for DSS administrative Regions.
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.