HC Deb 01 February 1999 vol 324 cc418-9W
Mr. Alan Simpson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each year since 1979 the proportion of(a) the total population and (b) lone parent families in receipt of (i) income support and (ii) supplementary benefits. [68108]

Angela Eagle

The information is in the table.

Percentage population who claimed income support or supplementary benefit and the number of these claims which were made by lone parents, for each year since 1979
Year IS and supplementary benefit (prior to 1998) claimants (Thousand) Percentage of total population claiming IS or supplementary benefit (prior to 1988) Lone parents claiming IS or supplementary benefit (prior to 1988) (Thousand) Percentage of population who are lone parents claiming IS or supplementary benefit Percentage of lone parent population claiming IS or supplementary benefit
1979 2,855 5.2 306 0.6 36.5
1980 3,118 5.7 316 0.6 36.4
1981 3,723 6.8 369 0.7 41.0
1982 4,267 7.8 415 0.8 44.6
1983 4,349 7.9 449 0.8 n/a
1984 4,609 8.4 492 0.9 52.4
1985 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
1986 4,938 8.9 575 1.0 57.0
1987 4,896 8.8 629 1.1 59.9
1988 4,352 7.8 694 1.3 63.7
1989 4,161 7.5 756 1.4 65.2
1990 4,180 7.5 793 1.4 64.5
1991 4,487 8.0 871 1.5 67.0
1992 5,088 9.0 957 1.7 69.8
1993 5,643 10.0 1,013 1.8 70.3
1994 5,675 10.0 1,039 1.8 68.8
1995 5,670 10.0 1,056 1.9 67.7
1996 5,549 9.7 1,059 1.9 66.2
1997 3,958 6.9 1,014 1.8 n/a
1998 3,853 6.7 961 1.7 n/a

Notes:

  1. 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.
  2. 2. Income support replaced supplementary benefit in April 1998.
  3. 3. Data are not available for 1995.
  4. 4. Numbers are given at a point in time. For 1979, the month was November. For 1980, to 1984 the month was December. In 1986 and 1996, the month was February and from 1987 to 1998, the month was May.
  5. 5. Sample sizes: 1977–82 supplementary pension cases 1 in 200; supplementary allowance cases 1 in 50. 1983–87 supplementary pension cases 1 in 200, supplementary allowance cases 1 in 50. 1988–1993 1 in 100. 1994 to date 1 in 20.
  6. 6. The numbers of income support and supplementary benefit claimants for the period prior to 1996 include claims for income support for the unemployed. In October 1996, jobseeker's allowance replaced income support as the benefit claimed by the unemployed. The figures from 1996 onwards therefore do not include any claims by the unemployed.
  7. 7. The numbers of lone parents claiming income support for the period prior to 1996 may include claims by unemployed lone parents. The figures provided for 1996 onwards will not include unemployed lone parents.
  8. 8. An estimate of the 1998 population of Great Britain has not published by the Office for National Statistics. We have therefore used the population estimate for 1997 when completing our calculation for 1998.
  9. 9. LFS estimates subject to revision following released of Adjusted Household Database.

Source:

  1. 1. Supplementary Benefit Statistics Annual Enquiries, 1979 to 1987.
  2. 2. Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiries, 1988 to 1993.
  3. 3. Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiries from May 1994 to May 1998.
  4. 4. Population figures are taken from the Office for National Statistics, Estimated Resident.
  5. 5. Population figures for 1979 to 1997.
  6. 6. Population Trends.

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