State Benefits 'Feeding Thousands Of Kids'

Almost 118,000 NI kids are part of families that are living on State handouts - and over 300,000 pensioners are also on a major benefit.

The latest Northern Ireland Social Security Statistics Bulletin has just been published and provides an up-to-date and concise overview of the main benefits administered by the Social Security Agency and Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

The bulletin is based on data available within the Department for Social Development (DSD) Analytical Services Unit at the end of August 2011.

Some of the main findings include that, at November 2010 there were 117,800 children living in families claiming a key benefit and that there were 228,440 people of working age claiming a key benefit and there were 300,929 people over state pension age claiming a key benefit.

At May this year there were 81,720 claimants and 154,760 beneficiaries of Income Support while the number of State Pension Credit claimants was 98,500.

The number of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants was 57,985 and an actual recipient was 53,760 while at the same date, the number of Incapacity Benefit claimants was 84,769 and the number of actual Incapacity Benefit recipients was 51,097.

The data also shows that the number of Attendance Allowance recipients was 56,515 and the number of Disability Living Allowance recipients was 186,174 while - on carers - the number of Carer's Allowance recipients was 56,932.

In June this year, the number of Housing Benefit claimants was 157,808 and (at March 2011) the number of State Pension recipients was 293,803 while the number of Widow's Benefit recipients was 1,671 and the number of Bereavement Benefit recipients was 2,306.

(BMcC/KMcA)