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WQ.27/2025
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY
BY DEPUTY K.M. WILSON OF ST. CLEMENT
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 27th JANUARY 2025 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 3rd FEBRUARY 2025
Question
"Will the Minister provide details of the number of people over the last 5 years who were in receipt of financial support from the Employment, Social Security, and Housing Department broken down into each of the different types of benefit paid by the Department; and will she further provide the total financial value of each type of benefit paid for each of the last 5 years?"
Answer
The tables below relate to spending under the control of the Minister for Social Security. In addition, the Department also administers student finance grants. The tables demonstrate the significant range of benefits available and the distribution of around half a billion pounds a year to benefit recipients.
These tables use data from internal departmental records and allocate payments according to the date the payment was made. They do not include accounting adjustments which are used to reconcile payments to correct time periods and management of debtors. As such, the tables below present a coherent view of the data included but the detailed numbers and values will not match exactly to audited accounts etc.
1. Number of people
Funding Source | Description | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Health Insurance Fund | Health Access Scheme |
| 9,836 | 9,269 | 8,939 | 8,848 |
| HIF - all other benefits * | 74,895 | 79,425 | 80,569 | 81,672 | 83,588 |
| Pharmaceutical Benefit ** | 2,158,156 | 2,190,620 | 2,282,486 | 2,287,899 | 2,213,367 |
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Long-Term Care Fund | Long Term Care | 1,610 | 1,690 | 1,741 | 1,842 | 1,872 |
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Social Security Fund | Death Grant | 803 | 803 | 844 | 889 | 839 |
Funding Source | Description | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Home Carers Allowance | 212 | 218 | 209 | 230 | 244 |
| Incapacity Pension | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 |
| Invalidity Benefit | 400 | 366 | 337 | 309 | 284 |
| Long Term Incapacity Allowance | 4,169 | 4,300 | 4,357 | 4,457 | 4,477 |
| Maternity Allowance | 1,003 | 242 |
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| Parental Allowance | 33 | 1,546 | 2,158 | 2,140 | 1,968 |
| Maternity/Parental Grant | 682 | 953 | 816 | 776 | 688 |
| Old Age Pension | 34,384 | 34,685 | 34,730 | 34,986 | 35,136 |
| Short Term Incapacity Allowance | 16,558 | 17,000 | 18,904 | 16,048 | 16,364 |
| Survivors Allowance | 152 | 152 | 164 | 152 | 133 |
| Survivors Pension | 568 | 519 | 463 | 413 | 349 |
Tax Funded | Income Support | 13,500 | 11,757 | 10,677 | 10,110 | 9,837 |
| Income Support Special Payment | 3,101 | 3,060 | 2,915 | 2,939 | 2,886 |
| Christmas Bonus | 4,157 | 4,117 | 4,039 | 4,195 | 4,321 |
| Cold Weather Bonus | 1,061 | 1,013 | 1,607 | 1,939 | 1,818 |
| Community Cost Bonus | 506 | 952 | 3,596 | 3,638 | 3,274 |
| Diffuse Mesothelioma Special Payment | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 | <10 |
| Pension Plus Scheme | 1,530 | 1,675 | 1,666 | 1,872 | 2,082 |
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Tax funded: Covid-19 Pandemic Support | C19 Children's Dental Scheme |
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| 345 |
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| CRESS (COVID-19 Related Emergency Support Scheme) | 408 |
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| Economic Stimulus | 7,640 | <10 |
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Tax funded: Short Term Schemes | Cost of Living Temp Scheme |
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| 7,579 | <10 |
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| Parental Support Payment |
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| 51 |
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| Registered Employee Support Payment |
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| 288 |
* The figure provided relates to the number of adults receiving financial support with a GP appointment during the year. There may be additional numbers who have accessed one of the HIF funded services but did not also receive a HIF benefit from a GP consultation. ** the figure provided relates to the number of prescription items funded by a HIF benefit during the year.
2, Value of benefits
Funding Source | Group Description | Total Payments in 2020 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2021 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2022 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2023 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2024 (£,000s) |
Health Insurance Fund | Health Access Scheme |
| £1,268 | £1,325 | £1,519 | £1,866 |
| Non-HAS Payments to GPs (Medical Benefit, Pathology, etc.) | £6,439 | £8,020 | £7,718 | £11,921 | £18,896 |
| Pharmaceutical Benefit - Dispensing Fees | £7,786 | £8,752 | £7,812 | £8,819 | £9,235 |
| Pharmaceutical Benefit - Drugs | £13,949 | £17,386 | £15,700 | £17,688 | £19,099 |
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Long-Term Care Fund | Long Term Care | £57,858 | £61,063 | £64,247 | £77,637 | £86,127 |
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Social Security Fund | Death Grant | £702 | £720 | £780 | £851 | £864 |
| Home Carers Allowance | £2,090 | £2,141 | £2,144 | £2,384 | £2,878 |
| Incapacity Pension (included in LTIA total below) |
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| Invalidity Benefit | £4,730 | £4,430 | £4,198 | £4,041 | £3,926 |
| Long Term Incapacity Allowance | £20,600 | £21,972 | £23,587 | £26,227 | £28,691 |
Funding Source | Group Description | Total Payments in 2020 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2021 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2022 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2023 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2024 (£,000s) |
| Maternity Allowance | £2,624 | £384 |
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| Parental Allowance | £12 | £3,795 | £5,007 | £5,084 | £5,009 |
| Parental Allowance Interim | £134 | £18 |
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| Maternity/Parental Grant | £490 | £641 | £594 | £590 | £577 |
| Old Age Pension | £203,601 | £207,460 | £218,763 | £235,124 | £258,671 |
| Short Term Incapacity Allowance | £15,459 | £15,455 | £16,341 | £16,886 | £19,499 |
| Survivors Allowance | £572 | £685 | £502 | £666 | £799 |
| Survivors Pension | £3,101 | £2,941 | £2,857 | £2,567 | £2,516 |
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Tax Funded | Income Support | £83,648 | £79,020 | £72,902 | £77,632 | £84,380 |
| Income Support Special Payment | £1,493 | £1,446 | £1,401 | £1,896 | £1,576 |
| Christmas Bonus | £358 | £355 | £348 | £487 | £505 |
| Community Cost Bonus | £114 | £360 | £1,870 | £1,958 | £1,873 |
| Cold Weather Bonus | £185 | £203 | £172 | £668 | £611 |
| Diffuse Mesothelioma Special Payment | £23 | £28 | £26 | £23 | £98 |
| Parental Bereavement Leave |
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| £29 |
| Pension Plus Scheme | £369 | £460 | £479 | £637 | £954 |
| Television Licences 75+ | £100 | ~ |
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Tax funded: Covid-19 Pandemic Support | C19 Children's Dental Scheme |
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| £86 |
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| CRESS (COVID-19 Related Emergency Support Scheme) | £548 |
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Funding Source | Group Description | Total Payments in 2020 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2021 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2022 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2023 (£,000s) | Total Payments in 2024 (£,000s) |
| Economic Stimulus | £1,267 | ~ |
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Tax funded: Other Short Term Schemes | Cost of Living Temp Scheme |
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| £3,112 | £2 |
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| Parental Support Payment |
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| £17 |
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| Registered Employee Support Payment |
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| £71 |
~ benefit total of less than £500 in year