To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many claimants were having (a) one deduction made, (b) two deductions made and (c) three deductions or more made on 1 January at each social security office in Northern Ireland; and what were the figures on 1 January 1991 and 1 January 1989.

Social Security operational matters are the responsibility of Mr. Alec Wylie, chief executive of the Social Security Agency. However, I understand that the information is not held centrally and therefore cannot be supplied on grounds of disproportionate cost.