asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of one-parent families and two-parent families in receipt of supplementary benefit for each of the last five years; what was the average payment; and what was the average length of time spent on supplementary benefit.
The information to the latest date available is as follows:single, (ii) widowed, (iii) divorced, (iv) seperated and (v) a prisoner's spouse, giving the number of children in each category and the average payment to reach category.
The available information, for December 1983, is as follows:
(a) Female lone parents
| (b) Male lone parents
| ||||||
Number
| Number of children
| Average weekly payment
| Number
| Number of children
| Average weekly payment
| ||
(thousands)
| (thousands)
| (thousands)
| £
| (thousands)
| (thousands)
| £
| |
| iv. | separated | 148 | 281 | 37·37 | 9 | 16 | 39·53 |
| v. | prisoner's spouse | 4 | 8 | 40·95 | — | — | — |
| Totals | *451 | *755 | 36·73 | 24 | 39 | 39·66 | |
* The figures do not add up exactly due to rounding. | |||||||
Source: Annual statistical inquiry 1983
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give details of special rules about income earned during the on-season in relation to the eligibility of seasonal workers for supplementary benefit.
People who engage in seasonal work are entitled to supplementary benefit during their off-season if they are unemployed and available for full-time work, but on-season earnings may affect the amount of supplementary benefit payable.If the on-season earnings of a claimant exceed two-and-half times his normal and additional requirements (three times the single household ordinary rate, if greater) the excess is regarded as available for the weeks of the off-season. The excess is divided by the number of weeks in the off-season and the result is treated as weekly earnings, subject to the normal earnings disregard.