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.
113.
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.