To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a table for Greater London showing the number of people aged 16, 17, and 18 years who were in receipt of each of housing benefit, unemployment benefit, and income supplement and the numbers of each age in receipt of any one of these benefits for October of each year since 1988.

I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.