| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Pensioners (Consumer Durables)
Sir Andrew Bowden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of the lowest income quintile of pensioner households had access to a (a) fridge or fridge/freezer, (b) car or van, (c) freezer or
23 Jan 1996 : Column: 221
fridge/freezer, (d) telephone and (e) television in (i) 1975 and (ii) 1995. [10206]
Mr. Heald:
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Durable goods | 1979 | 1993 |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Fridge or fridge/freezer | 81 | 97 |
| (b) Car or van | 26 | 34 |
| (c) Freezer or fridge/freezer | 23 | 70 |
| (d) Telephone | 45 | 88 |
| (e) Television | 91 | (17)98 |
Notes:
(17) This figure is for 1992 as the data is not available from the Pensioners' Incomes Series 1993.
1. A pensioner benefit unit is defined as a single person over state pension age or a couple where the husband, or head, is over state pension age.
2. The earliest date for which information is available is 1979.
3. The latest date for which information is available is 1993.
4. The information is based on pensioner benefit units rather than pensioner households.
Source:
Analysis of the 1979, 1992 and 1993 Family Expenditure Surveys and Pensioners' Incomes Series.
War Pensions
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the representations his Department received during 1995 from individual war pensioners, their associations, charities, local authorities and other politicians on the issue of disregard of war pensions by local authorities. [9973]
Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested. In 1995, this Department received a number of such representations. From the information that is available, this included some 60 letters from hon. Members and some 144 letters from members of the public, local authorities and other interested parties.
Pensioners (Income Support)
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners claiming income support in 2025 and 2035, assuming that the income support level remains at its current proportion of average earnings; [10511]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in 2025 and 2035 who will have a state earnings-related pension scheme entitlement or other second-tier pension entitlement which, in combination with their basic pension entitlement, will leave them with an income below current income support levels, assuming that the basic state pension and the level of income support remain constant in real terms; [10513]
(3) what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners claiming income support in 2025 and 2035,
23 Jan 1996 : Column: 222
- assuming that income support levels remain constant in real terms; [10510]
(4) what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in 2025 and 2035 who will have a state earnings-related pension scheme entitlement or other second-tier pension entitlement of under £20 in 1996 prices; [10512]
(5) what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners claiming income support over the period of the Government Actuary's quinquennial review of the national insurance fund; and what assumptions he has used to make this estimate. [10514]
Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested. However, some information is now available from the departmental pensioner incomes simulation model, which projects changes in pensioner incomes to the year 2025. The results from the model are heavily dependent on the economic and behavioural assumptions used, and should be treated as a broad indication of the likely order of magnitude of any figures given, and should in addition be rounded heavily 1 . Details of the methodology and assumptions used in the model, and a brief overview of basic results, will appear in a technical paper released in the coming months.
In 2025, assuming that basic state pension and the level of income support remain constant in real terms at 1994 prices, PENSIM projects that approximately 1.5 million pensioner benefit units 2 will have a SERPS pension entitlement or other second-tier pension entitlement which, in combination with their basic pension entitlement, will leave them with a pension income below income support levels.
However, due to income from other source, such as earnings and investment income, and other income support rules, such as capital limits, PENSIM estimates that in 2025 there will be approximately 0.5 million pensioner benefit units in receipt of income support. In 2010 PENSIM estimates there will be approximately 1 million pensioner benefit units in receipt of income support, assuming that income support levels remain constant in real terms.
If income support levels had been uprated to remain at the same proportion of average earnings as in 1994, PENSIM projects that in 2025 there would be approximately 1.5 million pensioner benefit units in receipt of income support.
PENSIM can be used to estimate relative changes over time but cannot produce robust estimates of absolute values. It cannot therefore be used to estimate the number of pensioners in 2025 who will have a SERPS pension entitlement or other second-tier pension entitlement of under £20 in 1996 prices.
23 Jan 1996 : Column: 223
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been the level of annual subsidy to the national insurance fund in each year since 1985 to (a) meet spending commitments and (b) compensate for those who have taken out private pension insurance. [10845]
Mr. Heald:
The amounts paid to the national insurance fund for each year in the period from 1985-86 to 1994-95 are shown in the table. These payments are a general contribution to the fund and are not attributed to any particular aspect of its expenditure.
Notes
1 All figures rounded to the nearest 500,000.
2 Pensioner benefit unit is defined as a single pensioner over state pension age in 2025, or a couple with at least one partner over state pension age.
| Year | Amount |
|---|---|
| £ million | |
| 1985-86 | 2,163 |
| 1986-87 | 2,412 |
| 1987-88 | 2,135 |
| 1988-89 | 1,653 |
| 1989-90 | nil |
| 1990-91 | nil |
| 1991-92 | nil |
| 1992-93 | nil |
| 1993-94 | 7,589 |
| 1994-95 | 6,280 |
(18) Treasury supplement until 1988-89; Treasury grant from 1993-94.
State Earnings-related Pension Scheme
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the total number of people in SERPS for each year since 1985 and for each year the number (a) entering, (b) leaving and (c) re-entering the scheme. [10846]
Mr. Heald: Information relating to the number of people in the state earnings-related pension scheme for each year since 1985-86 to 1992-93 is given in the table. Information relating to the number of people who entered, left, and re-entered SERPS is not currently available and I will write to the hon. Member with these details shortly.
| Year | Number of people (millions) |
|---|---|
| 1985-86 | 10.2 |
| 1986-87 | 10.4 |
| 1987-88 | 7.2 |
| 1988-89 | 7.6 |
| 1989-90 | 7.5 |
| 1990-91 | 7.5 |
| 1991-92 | 6.7 |
| 1992-93 | 6.5 |
1. Figures are for UK and rounded to nearest .1 million.
2. Figures for 1987-88 are provisional.
3. Figures for 1992-93 are not complete as some employers' tax returns may not yet have been input to the national insurance recording system.
4. Source: 1 per cent. trawl of NIRS.
5. Excludes appropriate personal pension holders.
23 Jan 1996 : Column: 224
The table gives the numbers of people who have a qualifying year for additional pension purposes by virtue of having paid some class 1 national insurance contributions at the not contracted-out rate during the year with relevant earnings greater than or equal to the lower earnings limit applicable to that year.
State Pension (Earnings Link)
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the cost of restoration of the link with earnings of the state pension from April 1996: and if he will make a statement. [10848]
Mr. Heald: It is estimated that restoring the link with earnings in uprating retirement pension in 1996-97 would increase pension expenditure by £10.1 billion.
Habitual Residence Rule
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have been denied benefits under the habitual residence rule; and what number were (a) British citizens and (b) foreign nationals. [9348]
Mr. Roger Evans [holding answer 16 January 1996]: The information requested is set out in the table and covers the period August 1994 to November 1995. It relates only to income support; housing benefit figures will not be available until December 1996 at the earliest.
| Fail | |
|---|---|
| EEA nationals | 11,946 |
| British citizens | 7,489 |
| Others | 13,835 |
| Total | 33,270 |
The Benefits Agency has placed figures relating to the habitual residence test in the Library since April 1995.
23 Jan 1996 : Column: 223