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Social Fund

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total expenditure of the social fund for each of the past five financial years; and what the administrative costs were and what proportion they were of expenditure. [40284]

Mr. Roger Evans: The information is set out in the table.

As the social fund's business involves both paying money out and recovering the amounts awarded as loans, the most appropriate measure of the cost of operating the

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fund is a comparison between administration costs and gross expenditure plus recoveries. This information is therefore also given in the table.

Year	Gross benefit expenditure £ million	Administration costs £ million	Administration costs as a percentage of gross benefit expenditure	Administration costs as a percentage of gross benefit expenditure plus recoveries
1990-91	280	132	(44)47	(44)32.5
1991-92	361	163	(44)45	(44)32
1992-93	402	(42)208	52	35
1993-94	442	(43)270	61	41
1994-95	451	209	46	30.5

Includes one off IT development and capital costs of £17 million.

Includes one off IT development and capital costs of £45 million.

Figures differ slightly from those previously published which did not include any cold weather payments.

1994-95 is the most recent year for which estimated actual administration costs are available.

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Family Resources Survey

Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the new family resources survey report for 1994-95 is intended to serve different functions from the households below average income report. [40153]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The family resources survey is a relatively new and unfamiliar survey which collects a wide variety of information which is expected to be of interest outside the Department of Social Security. Hence, to raise awareness in the wider community, the report summarises survey results for 1994-95, gives details on the background to the survey, describes methods used to collect and process the information and discusses data quality. Gross household income is used, in some tables, to group survey households when reporting characteristics of these households. The FRS report does not seek to transform survey data into estimates of the distribution of income in Great Britain. It therefore serves a different function from the households below average income report. The HBAI seeks to provide an accurate picture of the disposable income distribution. This is achieved by undertaking further work on the survey results, for example, adjusting income for household size and composition, creating a measure of "disposable" income, assessing the impact of housing costs and grossing results to reflect the population as a whole. The next edition will include results based on the FRS.

Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the equivalent monetary value in pounds per week at April 1995 prices, for the family resources survey report for 1994-95 following table A2 of the households below average income report for 1992-93, before and after housing costs of the decile means and medians of the two poorest decile groups and the richest decile group and the total population mean of (a) single adults and (b) couples with (i) no children, (ii) one child aged three, (iii) one child aged 16 years, (iv) two children aged three and eight years, (v) three children aged three, eight and 11 years and (vi) three children aged 11, 16 and 17 years. [40163]

Mr. Mitchell: The information is not available as processing of the family resources survey data for

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1994-95 to provide analyses of income on the households below average income definition has not yet been completed. However some information on this basis will be available in the next edition of households below average income.

Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the disposable income of households in (a) the lowest decile and (b) the highest decile in (1) 1994-95 and (2) 1992, at April 1995 prices, on the basis of the family resources survey, for the households with (i) one adult, one child (ii) one adult, two or more children, (iii) one man, one woman, one child, (iv) one man, one woman, two children, (v) one man, one woman, three children, (vi) two adults, four or more children, (vii) three adults, one or more children and (viii) four adults, one or more children. [40188]

Mr. Mitchell: Processing of the family resources survey data for 1994-95 to provide estimates of disposable income by decile has not yet been completed. Some information on this basis will be available in the next edition of households below average income, which is expected to be published in mid-November. It should then be possible to provide estimates as requested, subject to sample size limitations for some of the smaller groups.

Figures for 1992 based on the FRS are unavailable. The FRS began in October 1992 but did not build to its full fieldwork size until January 1993. The first months were largely intended to test the fieldwork operation of this new complex survey. Results are only partial and have never been validated. The Department does not propose releasing any analyses based on 1992-93 FRS results and the data have not been deposited in the data archive at Essex university.

Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to the answer of 19 July 1995, Official Report, column 1264, what was the disposable income of households in the family resources survey of 1994-95 and the family expenditure survey for 1993, at April 1995 prices in (a) the week lowest decile and (b) the highest decile in actual terms per week and as a percentage of the median for (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Greater London. [40156]

Mr. Mitchell: Figures from the family expenditure survey in 1993 prices were given by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary in reply to the question of 19 July. It is the normal practice of the Office for National Statistics that FES survey data are available only in the prices of the survey year.

Processing of the family resources survey data for 1994-95 to provide analyses of income on the households below average income definitions has not yet been completed. However some information from both the FES and the FRS will be available in the next edition of the HBAI, which is expected to be published in mid-November. It should then be possible to provide estimates from the HBAI database as requested, subject to sampling size limitations.

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Family Credit

Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the eligibility criteria for family credit in terms of income in 1988 and in each year since then. [40239]

Mr. Roger Evans: The income threshold for eligibility to family credit will vary depending on each family's individual circumstances. For each family size, there is a maximum amount of family credit payable. This consists of an adult credit (the same amount is payable for both

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couples and lone parents), a child credit for each child (the amount payable depends upon age) and, from July 1995, an additional credit for people who work 30 hours or more a week.

If a family's net income--after allowable disregards--is below an "applicable amount", the maximum amount of family credit is payable. If their income is above the applicable amount, 70p of every £1 of the excess is deducted from the maximum payable.

The level of family credit rates since 1988 are set out in the table.

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Family Credit Rates£

	Adult credit	Child credit for ages under 11	Child credit for ages 11-15	Child credit for ages 16-17	Child credit for age 18	30 hour credit	Applicable amount
1988	32.10	6.05	11.40	14.70	21.35	--	51.45
1989	33.60	7.30	12.90	16.35	23.50	--	54.80
1990	36.35	8.25	14.15	17.80	25.10	--	57.60
1991	38.30	9.70	16.10	20.05	27.95	--	62.25
1992	41.00	10.40	17.25	21.45	29.90	--	66.60
1993	42.50	10.75	17.85	22.20	31.00	--	69.00
1994	44.30	11.20	18.55	23.05	32.20	--	71.70
1995	45.10	11.40	18.90	23.45	32.80	10.00	73.00
1996	46.45	11.75	19.45	24.15	33.80	10.30	75.20

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Reduced Earnings Allowance

Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of savings to date from the changes in the reduced earnings allowance; and what estimate he has made of savings over 12 months. [40463]

Mr. Roger Evans: The estimated savings from the changes to reduced earnings allowance introduced with effect from 24 March 1996 are £25 million in 1996-97.

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