asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he can give the latest estimate of the number of children in families in receipt of (a) family income supplement, (b) supplementary benefit and (c) housing benefit.
[pursuant to his reply, 6 June 1985, c. 232]: Our best estimates of the number of dependent children in families receiving the specified benefits, at the latest available dates, are as follows:
| No. of children | Latest available date | |
| Family Income Supplement (FIS) | 417,000 | March 1985 |
| Supplementary Benefit | 1·8 million | December 1983 |
| Housing Benefit | 2·9 million | November 1984 |
Notes
1. The housing benefit figure includes about 1·7 million children whose families are receiving "certificated" housing benefit and who consequently are receiving supplementary benefit as well.
2. Some children will be included twice because for example their families are receiving both FIS and housing benefit. It is not possible to quantify the overlap.