asked the Minister for Social Welfare the percentage of the population who are now recipients of, or dependents of recipients of social welfare payments; and the comparable figure for 1986 and 1976.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Statistics.
144.
The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table:
Social Welfare Recipients and their Dependants as a Percentage of the Population, 1976-1987
|
Date |
Social Welfare Recipients* |
Percentage of the Population |
Social Welfare Dependants† |
Percentage of the Population |
Social Welfare Beneficiaries |
Percentage of the Population |
|
December 1976 |
541,653 |
17% |
382,512 |
12% |
924,165 |
29% |
|
December 1986 |
742,835 |
21% |
638,798 |
18% |
1,381,633 |
39% |
|
September 1987 |
741,245 |
21% |
633,201 |
18% |
1,374,446 |
39% |
*Social Welfare recipients consist of all those in receipt of a social welfare payment excluding child benefit.
†Social Welfare dependants consist of child and adult dependants. Since the full implementation of equal treatment in November 1986, child dependant allowances are payable at half rate to each of a married couple where both are in receipt of a payment or to a married person whose spouse is earning over £50 a week. This results in the former case in a double counting of child dependants which it is not possible to estimate. At September 1987 there were in total approximately 84,000 half rate allowances in payment.