To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the take-up of family credit; and what was his original target.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the take-up of family credit; and what was his original target.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the take-up of family credit; and what was his original target.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the take-up of family credit; and what was his original target.

The latest information about the level of take-up relates to 1988 when a special examination of family expenditure survey returns indicated that, amongst employees, take-up was 65 per cent. in expenditure terms and 50 per cent. by caseload. The original estimates for family credit were based on an assumption that take-up would be one fifth higher than for family income supplement, the benefit it replaced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the latest reported percentage take-up among those who should receive family credit or income support.

The latest take-up estimates, (published in March 1989), based on FES data for April to December 1988 show that take-up for family credit over that period was 65 per cent. in expenditure terms and 50 per cent. by caseload.The latest take-up estimates for income support. (supplementary benefit) are for 1985. On a caseload basis, take-up is 84 per cent. overall. Both the caseload and the expenditure take-up of supplementary benefit is higher than for previous years. Full technical notes on these take-up estimates are available in the Library. Overall, almost £9 out of every £10 of available income-related benefit expenditure is claimed and almost four out of every five eligible people claim what they are entitled to.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families are being helped by family credit; and what was the figure for family income supplement.

The latest comprehensive information about family credit is for July 1989 when over 320,000 families received the benefit. Around 213,000 families received family income supplement at the time that scheme came to an end in April 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement about the number of recipients of family credit.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, South (Mr. Yeo), earlier today.