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Supplementary Benefit

Volume 21: debated on Wednesday 7 April 1982

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asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a more recent estimate for the take-up of supplementary benefit than that published by the Supplementary Benefits Commission for 1979 indicating (a) what proportion of those entitled to supplementary benefit do not claim and (b) how much supplementary benefit in money terms is not claimed as a result.

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) on 5 April 1982.—[Vol. 21, c. 247–50.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the latest figures for the number of unemployed people receiving supplementary benefit, the number of these heading families, and the number of children in such families; and if he will give separate figures for one and two-parent families and for individuals and heads of one and two-parent families unemployed for more than one year.

In December 1981, about 1.3 million unemployed people were receiving supplementary benefit*. I regret that more specific information for December 1981 is not yet available; the latest available detail remains that given to the right hon. Member by my hon. Friend, the Member for Wallasey (Mrs. Chalker) on 21 December 1981.—[Vol. 15, c. 295.]

* Source: DHSS Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, December 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the number of exceptional circumstances allowances and exceptional needs payments made during the first year of the amended supplementary benefit scheme; if he will categorise these according to the status of the recipient and according to the purpose of the allowance or payment; and if he will give comparable figures for the last year of the old scheme.

I regret that information relating to the first year of the new supplementary benefit scheme will not be available until later in the year when the results of the Department's annual statistical enquiry have been processed.Information relating to 1980 is available in tables 34.44, 34.45 and 34.97 of "Social Security Statistics 1981", which is available in the Library.