§ 17. Mr. PopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the increase in social security expenditure on income-related benefits in real terms since 1979. [6861]
§ Mr. BurtIncome-related benefit expenditure rose from £8 billion in 1978–79 to £31.5 billion in 1995–96.
Although the number of people on income support has remained steady over the last four years, unemployment has fallen by over 950,000 since December 1992 and is still on a downward trend. This fall has been offset by increases in the number of pensioners, lone parents and people with disabilities claiming income support.