More than 2,500 people were signed up on Financial Assistance as of December last year, according to social development minister Sylvan Richards.

In total, 2,521 people were signed up, of whom 2,171 were black and 324 were white, Mr Richards told the House of Assembly yesterday.

He was speaking in response to parliamentary questions from Progressive Labour Party MP Michael Weeks.

Last year’s numbers held fairly steady month by month: 2,606 people were on Financial Assistance as of January 2016, and their numbers peaked in March, at 2,679.