Skip to main content

Supplementary Benefits

Volume 897: debated on Monday 4 August 1975

The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are (a) the numbers of old people dependent upon supplementary benefits and (b) the numbers claiming as a percentage of all old people in 1948, 1950, 1955, 1965, 1970 and all subsequent years.

I regret the information is not available for 1948 and 1975. For other years the information is given in the following table:

(1)(2)(3)
Persons of Pension Age estimated number in population (thousand)Number dependent on Supplementary Benefit/National Assistance (thousands)(2) as percentage of (1)
19506,6231,066*16·1*
1955 7,0171,366*19·5*
1965 7,9861,643*20·6*
1970 8,6332,28326·4
1971 8,8412,30126·0
1972 8,9632,28625·5
1973 9,0372,18824·2
1974 9,0582,12923·5
Notes:
1. Figures marked * are approximate.
2. Population estimates are for mid-year and numbers of supplementary benefit recipients as at November each year.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the numbers of unemployed drawing supplementary benefits; and what is the number expressed as a percentage of the total of unemployed for each year in 1948, 1950, 1955, 1965, 1970 and all subsequent years.

The information is as follows:

(1)(2)(3)
Number of Registered Unemployed (thousands)Number receiving Supplementary Benefit/National Assistance (thousands)Column (2) as percentage of (1)
1948 3284413·4
1950 3026621·9
1955 2265524·3
1965 32111234·9
1970 59624040·3
1971 86038745·0
1972 78939249·7
1973 50924948·9
1974 58330251·8
1975 81338847·7

Note:

Registered unemployed totals are for October each year and supplementary benefit recipients for November. For 1975, however, both figures relate to May.