Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 13 January 1986

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 13th January 1986.

Mr. Skinner Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons claimed supplementary benefit in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and to the nearest available date in 1985.

Mr. Major The table shows the number of claims to supplementary benefit received nationally for each of the years 1979 to 1984, and the number of persons receiving supplementary benefit at 30 July 1985 – the latest available – and at comparative dates since 1979. The figures of claims to benefit for 1985 show the number received up to 19 November only – the latest available figures.

Year | Claims received | Benefit recipients*

1979 | 5,169,992 | 3,197,019

1980 | 5,828,263 | 3,379,728

1981 | 5,456,585 | 3,780,980

1982 | 6,103,862 | 4,376,895

1983 | 5,889,787 | 4,661,318

1984 | 6,359,881 | 4,968,956

1985 | 5,482,137 | 5,169,435

* Source: 100 per cent. count of cases in action.

Mr. Rooker Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will name the local office which had received recent guidance from the chief adjudication officer referred to in the reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr, on 28 October, Official Report, column 381.

Mr. Major The guidance was given to one of the adjudication officers at Birmingham, Perry Barr integrated local office.