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Mr. Scott : The latest year for which figures are available is 1990- 91, but information is not readily available at present. I will write to the hon. Member shortly with such information as is available.
Disability
Ms Corston : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 19 July, Official Report, column 71, for how many households of long-term sick and disabled beneficiaries in the bottom quintile of income after housing costs no estimate is provided ; and on how many occasions quantile data on income provided by the Central Statistical Office in recent years have not been published when the 95 per cent. confidence intervals of plus 9 to plus 30, minus 7 to plus 15 and plus 12 to plus 36 apply.
Mr. Burt : I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Ms Corston : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 19 July, Official Report, column 71, what was the main income at April 1993 prices before and after housing costs, of the poorest quintile and of all households below average income of people who are long-term sick or receiving disability benefits for 1979 and 1990-91.
Mr. Burt : Available estimates are in the table.
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Median equivalised household incomes of
non-working long-term sick
and people declaring receipt of
disability benefits (pounds per week).
1979 1990-91
|BHC|AHC|BHC|AHC
-----------------------------------------
Bottom Quintile |92 |76 |96 |79
Below average income |133|116|160|143
Notes:
1. The Households Below Average Income (
HBAI) dataset, the Family Expenditure
Survey (FES), does not identify all
long-term sick or disabled people and
its identification of receipt of
disability benefits is imperfect. The
estimates are susceptible to those
imperfections as well as sampling
errors. The results in the tables may,
therefore, reflect changes in the
categories of long-term sick or disabled
people identified in the FES as well as
changes in the incomes of such people.
2. Reliable estimates of the mean income
of people in the bottom quintile of this
group and of those in households below
average income are not available. Below
average income refers to the population
average income in the relevant year.
3. Disability benefits counted here are
Invalidity Benefit, Mobility Allowance
and Attendance Allowance and Severe
Disability Allowance (1990-91) or
Non-Contributory Invalidity Pension (
1979).
Mobility Equipment Fund
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what arrangements are made for repayments of mobility equipment fund grants ; to what extent recipients are offered a choice of lender and terms ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what plans he has to extend means testing to all levels of grants made under the mobility components of the disability living allowance ;
(3) what is his policy on means testing grants from the mobility equipment fund exclusively to meet the costs of major adaptions to vehicles for severely disabled recipients of the mobility component of the disability living allowance ; whether the higher rate of the mobility component of the disability living allowance is means tested ; and if he will make a statement ;
(4) what are the criteria according to which Motability awards grants from the mobility equipment fund ; and under what arrangements Motability is accountable to his Department for its distribution of the mobility equipment fund ;
(5) what is the total of his Department's current provision including motor tax exemption for (a) the mobility component, high rate and (b) the mobility equipment fund.
Mr. Scott : Motability is an independent charity ; and it is for it to set the criteria for payments from the mobility equipment fund. Like any other charity which receives funds from Government, it is required to show that such funds are used economically, efficiently and effectively and for the purpose for which they were provided. MEF grants are not repayable.
Any question as to the level of motor tax exemption is one for my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The higher rate of the mobility component of the disability living allowance is not means tested.
It is expected that, in 1993-94, £2.184 billion will be spent on disability living allowance. Figures are not available to show the proportion within this figure likely to be spent on the higher rate of the mobility component. The contribution from the Department of Social Security to the MEF for 1993-94 is £2 million.
Column 1013
Lone Parents
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lone parents were refused budgeting loans as a percentage of the total number of applicants during the year 1992-93.
Mr. Scott : Social fund data are recorded by application rather than by applicant. In 1992-93, the number of applications for a budgeting loan from lone parents which did not result in an award was 11.4 per cent. of all budgeting loan applications received.
Benefits
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the number of recipients of (a) housing benefit, (b) income support, (c) family credit and (d) invalidity benefit in (i) Inverclyde, (ii) Strathclyde and (iii) Scotland as a whole ; and the percentage of the eligible population in each area receiving such benefit in each of the last five years.
Mr. Burt : The administration of social security benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 26 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what was the number of recipients of (a) housing benefit, (b) income support, (c) family credit and (d) invalidity benefit in (i) Inverclyde, (ii) Strathclyde and (iii) Scotland as a whole ; and the percentage of the eligible population in each area receiving such benefit in each of the last five years.
The complete range of information you request is either not available or could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. This is because statistics are not routinely collected to reflect the numbers of recipients over a given period. The statistics that are available show the number of recipients at a given point in time. In addition, statistics are not routinely collected for Inverclyde and Strathclyde in respect of Income Support, Family Credit and Invalidity Benefit. The figures available are for the Benefits Agency Districts covering these areas and, as the boundaries of these offices do not correspond exactly with those of the Inverclyde and Strathclyde areas, it would require a manual trawl of benefit records to obtain the information. The information that is available is in the attached appendix.
Finally, take-up figures for income related and Invalidity Benefit are not available on a regional basis. Estimates of the take-up of Income Support, Family Credit and the new unified Housing Benefit for Great Britain were published in "Income Related Benefit Estimates of Take-up in 1989" in January this year. Take-up estimates for the income related benefits that were available before the 1988 benefit reforms are for 1985 and 1987 and are provided in Social Security Statistics 1990 (Table 48) and Social Security Statistics (Table H.5) respectively. Copies of these publications are in the Library. Information for Invalidity benefit is not available.
I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library. Appendix to PQ-- 3394 1992/93
Family Credit
Figures prior to May 1990 are not available since this information is routinely destroyed. This information has been supplied by the Family Credit Unit.
Column 1014
Date |Region |Number
------------------------------------------------
May 1990 |Inverclyde |911
|Strathclyde|13,246
|Scotland |33,462
May 1991 |Inverclyde |1,051
|Strathclyde|14,581
|Scotland |36,252
June 1992 |Inverclyde |1,345
|Strathclyde|19,113
|Scotland |46,501
May 1993 |Inverclyde |1,690
|Strathclyde|21,982
|Scotland |52,830
Housing Benefit
This information has been provided by the Analytical Services Division of the Department of Social Security. The figures quoted are averages of the quarterly counts of Housing Benefit cases. Estimates have been included for those quarters where Local Authorities in Strathclyde failed to respond. Figures for Inverclyde have been rounded to the nearest hundred ; the other figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. It is not possible to show the overlap with other benefits apart from Income Support.
Region |Number (with IS) |Number (without IS)|Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89
Inverclyde |9,800 |5,300 |15,100
Strathclyde |168,000 |104,000 |272,000
Scotland |321,000 |243,000 |564,000
1989-90
Inverclyde |9,900 |5,000 |14,900
Strathclyde |159,000 |109,000 |268,000
Scotland |315,000 |241,000 |556,000
1990-91
Inverclyde |6,600 |5,100 |11,700
Strathclyde |155,000 |112,000 |266,000
Scotland |307,000 |236,000 |542,000
1991-92
Inverclyde |6,000 |5,000 |11,100
Strathclyde |151,000 |115,000 |266,000
Scotland |301,000 |260,000 |561,000
1992-93
Inverclyde |6,100 |5,000 |11,100
Strathclyde |154,000 |111,000 |266,000
Scotland |308,000 |233,000 |541,000
Invalidity benefit
Figures for Inverclyde and Strathclyde are not available prior to May 1991 since this information is routinely destroyed. Figures for Scotland have been provided for the last five available years and have been rounded to the nearest thousand. This information has been supplied by the Analytical Services Division of the Department of Social Security in conjunction with Management Information Statistics.
Region |Number
----------------------------
April 1987
Scotland |135,000
April 1988
Scotland |147,000
April 1989
Scotland |158,000
March 1990
Scotland |169,000
May 1991
Inverclyde |6,487
Strathclyde |115,964
Scotland |n.a.
May 1992
Inverclyde |6,201
Strathclyde |132,237
Scotland |n.a.
May 1993
Inverclyde |6,627
Strathclyde |142,212
Scotland |n.a.
Income Support
Figures are not available for Inverclyde and Strathclyde prior to 1991 since this information is routinely destroyed. However, for Scotland as a whole, figures are available for the five year period requested, rounded to the nearest thousand. These figures have been provided by Analytical Services Division and are based on a 1 per cent. count. The information for Strathclyde and Inverclyde have been supplied by the Income Support Management Information Statistics.
Region |Number ---------------------------- May 1988 Scotland |499,000 May 1989 Scotland |486,000 May 1990 Scotland |481,000 May 1991 Inverclyde |15,617 Strathclyde |293,529 Scotland |487,000 May 1992 Inverclyde |15,971 Strathclyde |294,081 Scotland |519,000 May 1993 Inverclyde |16,595 Strathclyde |315,636 Scotland |n/a
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will conduct a survey of waiting times for benefit claimants at benefit centres in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and place a copy of the results in the Library.
Mr. Burt : Waiting times in benefit offices are a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. and learned Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Greville Janner, dated 27 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security, asking if he will conduct a survey of waiting times for benefit claimants in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Column 1016
There are no plans to conduct a survey of waiting times for benefit claimants in England, Wales and Scotland. A survey in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The Benefits Agency is currently piloting an advanced- caller system that will enable staff to continuously monitor waiting times. The system will also alert staff if a customer has been waiting an unduly long time, or if there is an increase in the number of callers. This enables a decision on whether to deploy more reception staff to be made at an early stage. In addition, most offices now run their reception points as a fast stream service. Customers are seen and wherever possible their enquiries are cleared at the initial reception point.I place great importance on listening to our customers. The Benefits Agency Customer Charter gives a commitment to actively seek, listen to and act on the views of our customers. Each District in the Agency tests customer opinion at least once a year to find out which aspects of the service are seen as most in need of improvement, so that resources can be targeted appropriately.
The Benefits Agency also commissions a national independent survey of its customers each year. One of the topics covered in the survey concerns the customer's perception of the length of time they have to wait in the office before being seen. A copy of the 1991 survey is in the Library.
I hope that this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Income Support
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the average amount of deductions for recipients of income support who receive the disability premium and have (a) more than one deduction and (b) more than two deductions ;
(2) how many recipients of income support are subject to more than (a) one, (b) two or (c) three deductions from their income support ; and what is the average amount per person of those deductions ;
(3) what is the number and average amount of deductions for recipients of income support who receive the lone parent premium and have (a) more than one deduction and (b) more than two deductions ;
(4) what is the number and average amount of deductions for recipients of income support who receive the family premium and have (a) more than one deduction and (b) more than two deductions.
Mr. Burt : I shall write to the hon. Member shortly wth such information as is available.
Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many income support and unemployment benefit claimants have (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully claimed income support under the hardship rules, showing those whose claim was in doubt due to (i) not actively seeking work, (ii) refusing suitable employment and (iii) availability for work for each region and for Great Britain as a whole for each quarter since April 1992.
Mr. Burt : The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Ms Clare Short, dated 26 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary
Column 1017
Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many income support and unemployment benefit claimants have (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully claimed income support under the hardship rules, showing those whose claim was in doubt due to (i) not actively seeking work, (ii) refusing suitable employment and (iii) availability for work for each region and for Great Britain as a whole for each quarter since 1992.The information has been taken from the Benefits Agency Management Information Statistics and is attached. The number of customers who have successfully or unsuccessfully
Column 1018
applied for a hardship payment because they have refused suitable employment are included in the numbers of customers whose claim is in doubt because of their availability for employment. I regret it is not possible to break this figure down.The figures are based on the Benefits Agency's Territorial structure, which has been in force since April 1991.
I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Column 1017
Availability for work-Hardship Applications Territory |June 1992 |September 1992|December 1992 |March 1993 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scotland and Northern <1>A |203 |213 |152 |136 <2>R |46 |83 |66 |89 Wales and Central <1>A |150 |156 |168 |52 <2>R |84 |73 |54 |55 Southern <1>A |370 |416 |293 |421 <2>R |115 |146 |261 |428 National Totals <1>A |723 |785 |613 |609 <2>R |245 |302 |381 |572 <1>A=Awards <2>R=Refusals
Column 1017
Actively Seeking Work-Hardship Applications Territory |June 1992 |September 1992|December 1992 |March 1993 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scotland and Northern <1>A |24 |43 |14 |19 <2>R |139 |145 |96 |112 Wales and Central <1>A |52 |69 |30 |38 <2>R |55 |59 |44 |25 Southern <1>A |71 |141 |101 |75 <2>R |54 |51 |21 |35 National Totals <1>A |147 |253 |145 |132 <2>R |248 |255 |161 |172 <1>A=Awards <2>R=Refusals
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average level of deductions from income support excluding current liability for mortgage interest in each year since 1989.
Mr. Burt : The information requested can be obtained from the figures in table 10.1 of volume 1 of the "Department of Social Security Income Support Statistics Annual Statistical Enquiry", May 1989 to May 1992, copies of which are in the Library.
Separate statistics for current liability for mortgage interest were not collected for the years 1989 to 1991 and are only available for May 1992.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by premium the deductions made from the income support of persons who receive the lower rate of income support for persons aged under 25 years.
Mr. Burt : The numbers of deductions made from the benefit of income support recipients who receive the under 25 years of age rate of income support and who are entitled to a premium are as follows :
Column 1018
|Number
-----------------------------------------
Disability Premium
Community Charge Deduction |1,000
Social Fund Recovery |4,000
Source:
"Income Support Annual Enquiry", May
1992.
Notes:
1. The figures have been rounded to the
nearest thousand.
2. Recipients with the lower rate of
Income Support for those aged under 25
have been identified on the basis that
they are under 25, single and without
dependents, and do not therefore qualify
for the high rate of benefit.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of income support are subject to direct payment of mortgage interest for (a) current liability and (b) arrears.
Mr. Burt : The latest information in the form requested is in table 10.1 of volume 1 of "Department of Social Security--Income Support Statistics, Annual Statistical Enquiry", May 1992, a copy of which is in the Library.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of income support are
Column 1019
having deductions made from their benefit (a) for community charge arrears, (b) fuel bills and (c) social fund repayments ; and what percentage of the total number of claimants this represents.Mr. Burt : The information requested can be obtained from the figures in tables 3.1 and 10.1 of volume 1 of the "Department of Social Security--Income Support Statistics Annual Statistical Enquiry", May 1992, a copy of which is in the Library.
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were dependent (a) on supplementary benefit in 1979 and (b) on income support in 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : There were 4.4 million claimants, partners and dependants receiving supplementary benefit in 1979. The latest available income support figures are for May 1992, when there were 8.9 million claimants, partners and dependants receiving income support. Comparisons between supplementary benefit and income support are difficult, since the conditions of entitlement and the basis of assessment differ.
Notes :
1. Sources : Supplementary Benefit Annual Statistical Enquiry, November 1979. Income Support Annual Statistical Enquiry, May 1992. 2. Figures rounded to the nearest hundred thousand.
Social Fund Loans
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in how many cases in each of the last five years civil enforcement action has been taken in either the county court or the sheriffs' court to enforce the recovery of social fund loans.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown of the number of deductions made for the recovery of social fund loans from social security benefits other than income support, by benefit.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is in the table.
Number of social fund awards which were repaid from social security
benefits (excluding income support) 1992-93
Source of repayment |Number of repayments
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Family credit |61,201
Industrial Disablement pension |1,564
Invalid care allowance |2,800
Invalidity benefit |233,850
Maternity allowance |1,646
Reduced earnings allowance |230
Retirement pension |40,456
Severe disability allowance |3,536
Sickness benefit |95,194
Unemployment benefit |3,488,307
War disablement pension |453
War widow's pension |149
Widow's pension |12,421
Widowed mother's allowance |3,414
|-------
Total |3,945,221
Column 1020
Public Bodies
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the public bodies for which he is responsible hold meetings in public ; and if he will list them.
Mr. Hague : Of the public bodies listed in "Public Bodies 1992", a copy of which is in the Library, the following hold hearings in public, except where the appellant requests a private hearing : Disability appeal tribunals
Medical appeal tribunals
Social security appeal tribunals
Vaccine damage tribunals
Child support appeal tribunals
Community Care Grants
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a further breakdown of the reasons for refusal of community care grants where direction 4 is not satisfied, referred to in annex 8 of the annual report of the social fund 1992-93.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Residential Care Homes
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether the preserved rights to income support at higher level of very dependent elderly and infirm will be maintained in unregistered residential care homes of fewer than four beds established prior to 1 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : From 1 April, small homes are no longer exempt from the provisions of the Registered Homes Act 1984, and are required to register if they are providing both board and personal care. For the residents to have preserved rights the home must be registered. If a home is not registered, the residents are no longer entitled to the higher levels of income support but can claim no State for Social Security with how many countries outside the EC Her Majesty's Government have entered into reciprocal social security agreements ; and upon what criteria decisions have been taken as to which countries should be covered by such arrangements.
Mr. Hague : The United Kingdom has reciprocal social security agreements with 23 countries outside the EC.
In order to enter into an agreement with the United Kingdom the other country's social security scheme has to be sufficiently similar to provide for reciprocity. There has to be sufficient movement of workers between the two countries to justify the outlay of resources to negotiate, operate and maintain the agreement. Above all, any additional costs have to be affordable.
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for industrial disablement benefit for a prescribed industrial disease were received by the Benefits Agency's South Tyneside district, North Tyne district and Newcastle district offices in the period since
Column 1021
January 1991 ; how many of these claims resulted in medical examinations ; what were the outcomes of the examinations concerned ; how many appeals were received from claimants against the outcomes ; and what were the results of any resultant medical appeal tribunals.Mr. Scott : The administration of industrial injuries disablement benefit is the responsibility of Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. David Clelland, dated 26 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many claims for industrial injuries disablement benefit for a prescribed industrial disease were received by the Benefits Agency's South Tyneside District, North Tyne District and Newcastle District offices in the period since January 1991 ; how many of these claims resulted in medical examinations ; what were the outcomes of the examinations concerned ; how many appeals were received from claimants against the outcomes ; and what were the results of any resultant medical appeal tribunals.
Information on the number of prescribed disease claims and the subsequent outcome on such claims since January 1991 is not available in the form requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Similarly information on medical examinations and appeals is not to hand. Such information as is available is shown in the tables :
Table 1
Industrial injuries disablement
benefit-prescribed disease.
New claims in period April 1992 to June
1993
|New claims
-----------------------------------------
Newcastle district |1,293
South Tyneside |3,705
North Tyneside |1,627
The above information is based on a 100
per cent. count of claims received in
benefit offices. Prescribed disease
claims were not identified separately
prior to April 1992.
Table 2
Industrial injuries disablement benefit-prescribed
disease new
assessments in period October 1992 to June 1993
|New assessments
---------------------------------------------------
Newcastle district |25
South Tyneside |109
North Tyneside |9
The information is based on 100 per cent. count of
the number of new assessments of Disablement
Benefit in benefit offices. Prescribed disease
awards were not identified separately prior to
October 1992. Some claims made during the period
will not have been assessed yet.
I hope that this reply is helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Computer Consultancies
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all the computer consultancies employed by his Department and agencies, since November 1991, the tasks for which they were engaged, and the total cost to his Department.
Column 1022
Mr. Hague : The employment of computer consultancies is a matter for Mr. Ian Magee, the chief executive of the Information Technology Services Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Ian Magee to Mr. John McAllion, dated 23 July 1993 : The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to the Parliamentary Question, tabled by you on 21 July 1993, concerning computer consultancies employed by the Department of Social Security. As Chief Executive of the Information Technology Services Agency, I have responsibility for engaging IT consultants for the Department. There are a large number of consultancy suppliers employed within the Department of Social Security and the number of individual computer contracts runs into several hundred. If however there is a specific area of work that is of interest to you I will be happy to provide you with further details. The tasks for which they are employed covers all areas of IT including business analysis, software development, technical support and technical innovation. Individual tasks can range from the development of a specific interface between systems, to assistance with the advancement of our open systems strategy. A list of the suppliers of these services is attached. You also refer to the total cost of this work to the Department. I am unable to provide information on the value of the individual contracts as to do so may be a breach of commercial confidentiality. However, I can say that the value of contracts let between November 1991 and July 1993 is in the region of £87M. I should also explain that some of the more recent contracts do extend beyond this financial year.
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