asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money has been paid out so far in the current year in supplementary benefit payments and housing costs for (a) strikers' and (b) strikers' dependants.
Up to 3rd October 1978, —1⅔ million has been paid out in supplementary benefit for strikers' dependants and £4,400 to strikers without dependants. It is not possible to say how much of this was attributable to housing costs. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment tells me that
| Strikers' Dependants | Strikers | ||||||
| Week ending | Amount | Number of Payments | Amount | Number of Payments | |||
| £ | £ | ||||||
| 3rd October 1978 | … | … | … | 53 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| 10th October 1978 | … | … | … | 112,191 | 7,424 | 10 | 1 |
| 17th October 1978 | … | … | … | 154,681 | 10,741 | 30 | 2 |
| 24th October 1978 | … | … | … | 127,919 | 10,106 | 24 | 2 |
| 31st October 1978 | … | … | … | 161,951 | 13,152 | 4 | 1 |
the value of child additions paid to claimants during sickness and unemployment benefit.
Following is the information:the amount of rent rebates and allowances and rate rebates received by people on strike is not available.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing the amounts paid out weekly in supplementary benefit to the families of strikers and to strikers themselves, with numbers in both cases, and the special administrative costs involved in connection with the present industrial dispute at the Ford Motor Company.
The information is as follows:
The administrative costs of dealing with claims arising from the dispute cannot be separately identified.