asked the Minister for Social Welfare the total number of persons in receipt of payment under the various schemes of benefit and assistance operated by his Department; the cost of funding these schemes for the year ending 31 December 1988; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Schemes.
At the end of December 1988, there were some 726,000 persons in receipt of a weekly social welfare payment. Gross expenditure on social welfare schemes in 1988 is provisionally estimated at £2.62 billion, of which an estimated £1.56 billion was provided by the Exchequer. Details of recipients and expenditure are given in the accompanying tables.
Number of recipients on Social Welfare Payments at December 1988
Type of Benefit, Pension or Assistance |
Recipients |
Old Age Pensions (Contributory) |
74,990 |
Old Age Pension (Non-Contributory) |
122,681 |
Retirement Pension |
42,779 |
Death Benefit Pension |
466 |
Disability Benefit |
63,182 |
Disablement Benefit |
6,926 |
Injury Benefit |
573 |
Interim Disability Benefit |
1,044 |
Invalidity Pension |
29,242 |
Deserted Wife's Allowance |
5,125 |
Deserted Wife's Benefit |
8,492 |
Maternity Benefit |
3,705 |
Orphan's Allowance (Contributory) |
714 |
Orphan's Allowance (Non-Contributory) |
149 |
Prisoner's Wife's Allowance |
218 |
Single Woman's Allowance |
2,490 |
Unmarried Mother's Allowance |
15,062 |
Widows Pension (Contributory) |
82,167 |
Widows Pension (Non-Contributory) |
18,548 |
Unemployment Benefit |
73,000 |
Unemployment Assistance |
142,000 |
Unemployment Assistance Smallholders |
15,000 |
Supplementary Welfare Allowance* |
11,353 |
Family Income Supplement |
5,159 |
Rent Allowance |
1,231 |
Total |
726,296 |
* Includes persons on basic payments only.
Provision and disbursal of income for Social Security Schemes year ended 31 December 1988
£000 |
£000 |
|
1. Expenditure |
||
Administration |
126,000*† |
|
Disability Benefit |
200,100 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
103,160 |
|
Unemployment Benefit |
216,000 |
|
Maternity Allowance |
18,120 |
|
Widow's Contributory Pension and Orphan's Contributory Allowance |
233,000 |
|
Treatment Benefit |
16,430 |
|
Old Age Contributory Pension |
272,000 |
|
Retirement Pension |
145,100 |
|
Deserted Wife's Benefit |
33,960 |
|
Death Grants |
870 |
|
Pay Related Benefit |
29,390 |
|
1,268,000* |
||
Injury Benefit |
6,890 |
|
Disablement Benefit |
20,580 |
|
Death Benefit |
1,880 |
|
Workmen's Compensation Supplements |
30 |
|
Medical Care |
53 |
|
29,000* |
||
Old Age Non-Contributory Pension |
292,100 |
|
Child Benefit |
211,000 |
|
Unemployment Assistance |
440,000 |
|
Widow's and Orphan's Non-Contributory Pension |
44,500 |
|
Social Assistance Allowances |
72,530 |
|
Miscellaneous Grants* |
90,820 |
|
Grants to Voluntary Bodies |
950†† |
|
Family Income Supplement |
5,110 |
|
Anti-Poverty Programme |
1,000 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
34,320 |
|
1,193,000* |
||
Total Expenditure |
2,616,000* |
* Rounded.
†Includes Supplementary Welfare Allowance administration costs.
†† Of which grants totalling £850,000 were funded out of the National Lottery.