§ Earl Russellasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people are in receipt of income support; what percentage of the population over 18 this represents; and how many of the recipients are (a) of pensionable age, (b) in receipt of a disability premium and (c) registered unemployed.
§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish:On the basis of the Income support Quarterly Enquiry February 1996, the latest available data, it is estimated that there are 5,710,000 recipients of income support, of whom 1,573,000 are of pensionable age, 769,000 receive the disability premium and 1,656,000 are registered as unemployed.
The total number in receipt of income support, which may include some persons aged 16 or 17, represent, on the basis of the 1995 mid-term estimate by the Office of National Statistics, 13 per cent. of the total population aged 18 and over.