Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 26 February 1986

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 26th February 1986.

Dr. Godman Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the answer of 3 February, concerning supplementary benefit claims in Greenock and Port Glasgow, if he will state how much was paid by each office in each year since 1979-80.

Mr. Major I regret that no information is available about the amount of supplementary benefit paid out each year by individual local offices. Such information could be obtained only by a special exercise which would be disproportionately expensive.

Mr. Sean Hughes Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply of 20 February, Official Report, column 317, why information relating to young supplementary benefit claimants in Knowsley is not available.

Mr. Major The Department’s local offices keep figures of supplementary benefit claimants under three headings only –those over pension age, those who are unemployed and those under pension age who are not unemployed.

There is also an annual statistical inquiry based on a sample of cases in local offices which provides more detailed information, including estimated numbers of claimants in different age bands. However, the sample is not large enough to provide reliable estimates of individual local office figures.