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Benefit Statistics

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the total level of in-work benefits for each year since 1975 (a) at current prices and (b) at constant 1996 prices; and if he will break down these figures for each year by family credit, housing benefit, income support and council tax benefit. [33920]

Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the tables.

Table 1: Expenditure on claimants who have income from work£ millions

	Housing benefit		Community charge benefit/council tax benefit
	Cash terms	1996-97 prices	Cash terms	1996-97 prices
1990-91	340	416	170	208
1991-92	395	455	80	92
1992-93	525	581	95	105
1993-94	600	645	130	140
1994-95	700	739	140	148

Notes:

1. "In-work" includes claimants with earnings from employment and self-employment.

2. Details not available before 1990.

3. GDP deflator at market prices used in the calculation.

4. Council tax benefit introduced in 1993-94.

Source:

Housing benefit management information system 1 per cent. sample.

Table 2£ million

Income Support
	Cash terms	1996-97 prices
1988-89	355	502
1989-90	371	490
1990-91	448	549
1991-92	577	664
1992-93	677	750
1993-94	590	634
1994-95	564	595

Notes: 1.

"In-work" includes claimants with earnings from employment and self-employment.

2. GDP deflator at market prices used in the calculation.

Source:

Income support annual statistical inquiries--May 1989 to 1992.

Income support quarterly stastistical inquiries--February 1993 to 1995.

21 Jun 1996 : Column: 625

Table 3£ millions

Family income supplement/family credit
Year	Cash price	1996-97 prices
1975-76	12	53
1976-77	18	68
1977-78	25	87
1978-79	24	74
1979-80	27	71
1980-81	42	94
1981-82	66	134
1982-83	94	178
1983-84	123	223
1984-85	126	218
1985-86	130	213
1986-87	161	256
1987-88	180	272
1988-89	394	558
1989-90	425	562
1990-91	494	605
1991-92	626	721
1992-93	929	1,028
1993-94	1,208	1,299
1994-95	1,441	1,521
1995-96	1,683	1,729

Notes:

1. GDP deflator at market prices used in the calculation.

Source:

1996 departmental report and its predecessors.

21 Jun 1996 : Column: 626

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much was paid in in-work benefits in terms of (a) family credit, (b) housing benefit, (c) income support, (d) council tax benefit and (e) other in-work benefits (i) by region, (ii) by constituency and (iii) by travel-to-work-area in the last financial year. [33921]

Mr. Evans: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the tables. The information given is for the financial year 1994-95, broken down by region.

Estimated annual expenditure on benefits paid to claimants with income from work in 1994-95 Table 1: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit

						£ millions
	Not in receipt of income support		In receipt of income support		All cases
	Housing benefit	Council tax benefit	Housing benefit	Council tax benefit	Housing benefit	Council tax benefit
Wales	25	3	9	2	34	4
Scotland	32	1	9	3	41	4
South East	106	14	33	8	139	22
South West	51	9	12	4	64	13
East Midlands	31	7	14	4	45	12
West Midlands	26	7	12	4	38	11
North West	58	17	15	5	73	23
Yorkshire and Humberside	46	14	14	4	59	17
North	27	8	15	4	42	13
East Anglia	16	3	19	2	25	6
London	119	12	21	4	140	16
Total	537	95	163	45	700	140

Notes:

1. Tables include benefit units where either the claimant or partner has income from employment/self-employment.

2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest million.

3. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

4. No information is available by constituency or travel-to-work area.

Source:

Estimates derived from the annual 1 per cent. housing benefit sample enquiry.

21 Jun 1996 : Column: 625

21 Jun 1996 : Column: 625

Table 2: Family credit, disability working allowance and income support£ millions

	Family credit	Disability working allowance	Income support
Midlands	265	2.0	93.8
North Eastern	268	2.0	93.9
London North	170	1.1	96.3
Wales and South Western	194	1.9	94.2
North Western	241	2.0	64.9
Scotland	158	1.1	28.3
London South	146	0.9	92.2
Great Britain	1,441	11.0	563.7

Notes:

1. Figures for family credit have been rounded to the nearest million.

2. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

3. Areas are DSS administrative regions.

Sources:

1. Family credit statistics (5 per cent. sample of all awards)--February 1995.

2. Disability working allowance statistics (all awards)--February 1995.

3. Income support quarterly statistical inquiry--February 1995.

21 Jun 1996 : Column: 626

Severe Disability Allowance

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in what circumstances the Department reclaims overpayments from the estates of deceased severe disability allowance beneficiaries; and what duty it has to make payments to estates in cases of underpayment. [33329]

Mr. Roger Evans: There are general principles governing the recovery of overpayments of benefit and the payment of arrears in cases where the claimant had died. Income support and the severe disability premium are covered by these principles.

If an overpayment is caused by misrepresentation or failure to disclose a material fact, recovery is sought in appropriate cases. Recovery from the estate of a deceased claimant is considered only if a recoverable overpayment is outstanding or an overpayment is discovered due to non-disclosure of assets, after death.

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Where arrears of benefit are identified as being due to a claimant but that claimant is deceased, provision exists for the arrears to be paid to the person who, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, is entitled to the payment.

Family Expenditure Survey

Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken in the forthcoming 1996 report on households below average income to issue adjusted and unadjusted results to take account of the lack of representation of the homeless and the under-representation of (a) those aged 75 years and over, (b) those unemployed for six months and more and (c) the chronically sick and disabled, in the annual reports of the family expenditure survey. [33554]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The statistical series households below average income has been based on data from the family expenditure survey, which collects information on income only from people living in private households. The annual reports of the FES have not sought to correct for under or over-representation of various groups in the FES sample. However, HBAI statistics have always grossed the sample estimates to correct for variations in FES response rates and thereby to make the results more representative of the population living in private households. The Department's statisticians have reviewed the grossing of survey data and chosen a new grossing regime which will be adopted when HBAI switches to using data from the family resources survey. Details can be found in the HBAI methodological review report, a copy of which is in the Library.

There are no current plans to extend the coverage of the FES or family resources survey or to set up a new survey to collect information from people who are homeless or who live in institutions. There would be considerable methodological difficulties in collecting representative income data for these people. The Department's statisticians judge that, in general, the picture presented by HBAI statistics would not be greatly altered by the inclusion of such groups.

War Pensions

Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are currently in receipt of (a) war widows pensions and (b) war pensions; and what were the equivalent figures (i) five years ago, (ii) 10 years and (iii) 15 years ago. [34043]

Mr. Heald: This information is in the table.

As at 31 March 1996 a total of 57,497 war widows' pensions and 265,375 war disablement pensions were in payment.

	31 December 1980	31 December 1985	31 December 1990	31 December 1995
War Widows' Pension	76,500	64,859	54,124	49,726
War Disablement Pension	266,478	220,256	191,870	264,597

Mrs. Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received from which organisations with regard to allowing (a) partial and

21 Jun 1996 : Column: 628

(b) total disregard of war pensions and war widows' pension, in the calculation of housing and other benefit entitlements. [34042]

Mr. Heald: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 23 January 1996, Official Report, column 221.

Since January 1996, this Department has received a further 71 letters from hon. Members, and 69 letters from members of the public, local authorities and other interested parties.

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