Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit – 25 March 1986

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Supplementary Benefit on 25th March 1986.

Mr. Marlow Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the numbers of people in receipt of supplementary benefit who are of working age, are not disabled and are not actively seeking work.

Mr. Major This information is not collected by the Department.

Mr. Leighton Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many households in the London borough of Newham receive supplementary benefit; what were the numbers in each of the last six years; and what percentage of the total number of such households the latest figure represents.

Mr. Major The London borough of Newham is covered by three of the Departments offices, Canning Town, Plaistow and Woodgrange park, but their boundaries are not conterminous.

Information about the number of households receiving supplementary benefit is not available. The following figures show the total number of people claiming supplementary benefit from those offices at 11 February 1986 and at comparable dates for the last six years. There will in some circumstances be more than one claimant in a household.

Years | Numbers

1980 | 17,113

1981 | 19,643

1982 | 23,853

1983 | 26,788

1984 | 28,127

1985 | 30,552

1986 | 31,897

This Department has no information on the total number of households in Newham.