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Cold Weather Payments
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what considerations he has given to replacing cold weather payments with an increase in income support; and if he will make a statement. [8448]
Mr. Roger Evans: Income support provides for all normal day-to-day living needs including heating. The amount of benefit is based on personal allowances paid according to age and family status and flat rate premiums for groups recognised as having special needs, such as disabled and elderly people and families. Benefit rates are reviewed each year and account is taken of all relevant factors, including any increase in the cost of fuel.
Social fund cold weather payments give extra help to vulnerable people towards heating costs from a sustained period of very cold weather. There are no plans to change the current arrangements.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a cold weather payment to everyone receiving benefit every winter, irrespective of temperature; and if he will make a statement. [8418]
Mr. Evans:
The purpose of cold weather payments is to help vulnerable income support recipients with higher heating costs resulting from a sustained period of very cold weather not normally expected to occur in the majority of British winters. A reasonable indication of this is when the average temperature is, or is forecast to be 0 deg. C--freezing point--or below over seven consecutive days. To pay all people receiving benefits, many of whom may not have experienced a sustained cold spell, would not be an effective way of focusing the available resources on those most in need.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will reassess the appropriateness of the system for triggering cold weather payments, with particular reference to the distance between the weather stations and the areas in which payments are made; and if he will make a statement. [8417]
Mr. Evans:
After the end of March each year, the Department reviews the effectiveness of the weather station links used during the winter, through liaison and consultation with the Meteorological Office and changes are made if necessary. Weather stations are chosen by the Meteorological Office which are considered representative of the areas they cover, and are sophisticated and reliable enough to provide the quality of data required for the scheme. We are content that the current network of 55 weather stations provides
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straightforward and effective national coverage which at the same time takes reasonable and practicable account of local conditions.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will consider appointing local committees to determine the payment of cold weather payments on basis of need. [8419]
Mr. Evans:
No. Our aim for the social fund cold weather payment scheme is to have a simple network of weather stations that covers the whole country and allows automatic payments to be made quickly to those most in need. We achieve this by using weather stations chosen by the Meteorological Office which are considered representative of the postcode areas they cover, and are sophisticated and reliable enough to provide the quality of data required for the scheme. The current network of 55 weather stations provides straightforward and effective national coverage which at the same time takes reasonable and practicable account of local conditions. Local committees would bring inequities into a national scheme which is administered efficiently and effectively.
Mr. John Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the suitability of Mumbles for assessing temperatures for cold weather payments so far as the upper areas of the Aberavon constituency are concerned. [10117]
Mr. Evans:
We are content that the current network of 55 weather stations used for the cold weather payment scheme, including Mumbles, provides straightforward and effective national coverage which at the same time takes reasonable and practicable account of local conditions. The effectiveness of all the weather station links used during the winter is reviewed by the Department, through liaison and consultation with the Meteorological Office, after the end of March each year when the scheme ends. If changes to the station links are considered necessary, they are put in place in time for when the scheme operates again in November.
Mr. Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which stations used for assessing temperatures for the triggering of cold weather payments did not register sufficiently cold weather since 1 January 1996. [10118]
Mr. Evans:
The temperatures recorded at the following weather stations used in the cold weather payment scheme have not triggered cold weather payments for a period including 1 January 1996 or later:
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Aberporth
Aughton
Bedford
Birmingham airport
Boulmer
Bournemouth airport
Brize Norton
Chivenor
Cardiff (Rhoose)
Coltishall
Culdrose
Cilfynydd
Dunkeswell
Easthampstead
Gatwick airport
Heathrow airport
Hertsmonceux
Lerwick
Lyneham
Machrihanish
Manston
Marham
Mumbles
Southampton
St. Mawgan
Stanstead
Stornoway
Tiree
Valley
Wattisham
Yeovilton.
Pensioners' Incomes
Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of pensioners are identified as receiving income from an occupational pension; and what is the mean and median amount received for the latest year for which figures are available. [10199]
Mr. Heald: I refer the hon. Member to table 4 of "The Pensioners' Income Series 1993", a copy of which is available in the Library.
Sir Andrew Bowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was (a) the mean and (b) the median income of (i) single pensioners and (ii) pensioner couples before and after housing costs in the latest year for which figures are available. [10201]
Mr. Heald: I refer the hon. Member to table 1 of "The Pensioners' Income Series 1993", a copy of which is available in the Library.
War Pensions Agency
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what specific diseases or illnesses the War Pensions Agency recognises as being caused by exposure to the nerve agent Tabun during the service volunteers programme at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment when it awards pensions. [9046]
Mr. Heald: The war pensions scheme does not involve the recognition or prescription of specific diseases or illnesses.
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A war pension may be awarded for any disablement which is attributable to or aggravated by service in the armed forces, including voluntary participation in any test programme at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down.
Benefits (Non-dependent Deductions)
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the savings from changes to non-dependent deduction rates since April 1994, indicating the figures on an annual cumulative basis (a) for 1994-95 and projected figures for (b) 1995-96 and (c) 1996-97. [9390]
Mr. Roger Evans: The savings from changes to the non-dependent deduction rates in income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit since April 1994 are estimated as (a) £60 million in 1994-95, (b) £110 million in 1995-96, and (c) £155 million in 1996-97 on an annual cumulative basis. Notes: 1. Results have been estimated using data drawn from the family expenditure survey, uprated to the prices and benefit levels of each relevant policy year. 2. Expenditure is rounded to the nearest £5 million.
Housing Benefit (Easington)
Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many council, private and housing association tenants in the area covered by Easington district council are in receipt of housing benefit. [9501]
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is set out in the table.
| Total | Local authority tenants | Private tenants | Housing association tenants | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of recipients | 12,310 | 10,190 | 960 | 1,170 |
Source:
Housing Benefit Management Information System, quarterly case load count taken at the end of May 1995.
Notes:
1. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
2. The figures refer to the number of benefit units which may be a single person or a couple.
3. The total figure does not sum due to rounding.
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