asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state, in respect of each of the years 1944, 1945 and 1946, the number of persons (a) maintained in poor law institutions, and (b) in receipt of home assistance at 31st March and 30th September.
Written Answers. - Poor Law Relief.
Particulars in respect of the number of persons maintained in district institutions and in receipt of home assistance on the 31st March and 30th September in each of the years 1944, 1945 and 1946, are not readily available but the following is the desired information as at the last Saturday of March and September in respect of those years:—
|
Year |
Number of persons maintained in public assistance institutions on the last Saturday of: |
Number of persons in receipt of home assistance on the last Saturday of: |
||
|
March |
September |
March |
September |
|
|
1944 |
20,521 |
19,075 |
77,713 |
78,019 |
|
1945 |
20,053 |
19,211 |
73,904 |
75,872 |
|
1946 |
20,147 |
19,192 |
77,665 |
75,749 |
In the case of persons maintained in district institutions the numbers given are inclusive of any paying patients maintained in such institutions.
Particulars of persons on home assistance are inclusive of children boarded-out by public assistance authorities.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state, in respect of the years 1944, 1945 and 1946, the total cost of the maintenance of poor persons in poor law institutions during the half year ended 31st March and 30th September; and the total sum paid to the recipients of home assistance during each such period.
(a) The cost of maintenance of poor persons maintained in public assistance institutions during the six half-years ended 31st March, 1946, is not available. The following statement sets out the cost of maintenance of all persons, including paying patients, admitted to those institutions during the years ended 31st March, 1944, and 31st March, 1945:—
|
Year ended 31st March |
Cost of Maintenance |
|
£ |
|
|
1944 |
737,470 |
|
1945 |
751,615 |
A similar statement is not yet available for the year ended 31st March, 1946, as the accounts of local authorities in respect of that year are in course of audit and the abstracts of accounts are with the auditors. Since the coming into operation of the Public Bodies Order, 1942, information regarding cost of maintenance in institutions can be supplied only on a yearly basis.
The figures given represent maintenance cost within the meaning of Article 91 of the Public Bodies Order, 1942. The maintenance cost so determined includes the cost of consumable materials, articles of equipment and the cost of heating, lighting and water supply. All other costs (e.g. salaries and wages of staff, loan charges, structural alterations and repairs) are regarded as forming the "establishment cost" of the institutions. Under the provisions of the aforementioned article, this latter cost is shown separately in the accounts of the public assistance authorities.
The total cost of upkeep of the institutions is shown in the following table:—
|
Year ended 31st March |
Maintenance Cost |
Establishment Cost |
Total Cost |
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
1944 |
737,470 |
572,208 |
1,309,678 |
|
1945 |
751,615 |
609,762 |
1,361,377 |
(b) The following is a statement of the total sums paid to recipients of home assistance (including sums paid in respect of children boarded out by public assistance authorities) in each of the half-years ending on the last Saturday of March and September, 1944, 1945 and 1946:—
|
Year |
Cost of home assistance for the half-year ending on the last Saturday of: |
|
|
March |
September |
|
|
£ |
£ |
|
|
1944 |
324,637 |
338,514 |
|
1945 |
331,820 |
320,644 |
|
1946 |
329,731 |
318,605 |