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Disability Living Allowance
Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) first applications for disability living allowance were refused, (b) appeals against the decision to refuse disability living allowance were made and (c) appeals for disability living allowance were successful in (i) 1994-95 and (ii) 1995-96. [3508]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The information is not available in the format requested as disability living allowance statistics do not distinguish between reviews and appeals for first claims, and reviews and appeals of existing awards. A claim may be successful on review or appeal for a variety of reasons, for example, because additional information has been received or the claimant's condition has deteriorated. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Thousands | |
|---|---|
| Refusals, reviews and appeals(12) | Numbers |
| 1994-95 | |
| First applications refused | 256 |
| Review decisions(13) | 317 |
| Successful reviews(14) | 154 |
| Appeal decisions(15) | 26 |
| Successful appeals(16) | 17 |
| 1995-96 | |
| First application refused | 225 |
| Review decisions(13) | 333 |
| Successful reviews(14) | 147 |
| Appeal decisions(15) | 28 |
| Successful appeals(16) | 18 |
Source:
Analytical Services Division: figures based on 100 per cent. data have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
Notes:
(12) Reviews and appeals may be received in one year but decided in a later year.
(13) Includes both reviews of the first applications which were refused and reviews of existing awards.
(14) Includes both successful reviews of first applications which were refused and existing awards where the award was increased.
(15) Includes both decisions about first applications which were refused after review and decisions about existing awards.
(16) Includes both first awards of the benefit and existing awards where the award was increased.
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Appeals
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals his Department has to reduce the time taken over social security appeals. [2867]
Mr. Roger Evans: We recently introduced regulations amending the appeals process which should help to reduce the time it takes to clear appeals. The independent tribunal service, through its change programme, continues to look for ways to improve clearance times.
Reduced Earnings Allowance
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many claimants possessing documentary evidence of being awarded reduced earnings allowance for life have presented their evidence to the Benefits Agency; how many of these have been compensated; and at what estimated cost to his Department; [4091]
- (2) when the (a) investigation and (b) compensation processes into claimants possessing documentary evidence of being awarded reduced earnings allowance for life commenced; and when he expects that they will be completed. [4090]
Mr. Roger Evans: To receive compensation a person must be able to show a financial loss because a commitment was undertaken in reliance on an unconditional official assurance that reduced earnings allowance would continue in payment for life or some other period.
Awards of reduced earnings allowance, for whatever period, are always made subject to the requirements for entitlement continuing to be satisfied. For those over pension age, the condition is that the recipient continues in regular employment or can be treated by regulations as continuing in regular employment. No-one awarded reduced earnings allowance since April 1989 should have been given an unconditional assurance of future payment. I am aware that some such assurances may have been given and that the Benefits Agency is considering claims for compensation from people transferred from reduced
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earnings allowance to retirement allowance as they arise. To date, none of the four claims considered has satisfied the criteria for payment.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the extra cost to his Department if a national disregard of war pensions were applied by each local authority in England for the purpose of (a) council tax and (b) housing benefit. [4297]
Mr. Roger Evans:
Any increase in the mandatory disregards of war pensions in the income-related benefits would apply across all of Great Britain.
It is broadly estimated that the additional cost of a total disregard of all war pensions is (a) £15 million for council tax benefit; and (b) £45 million for housing benefit. 1
Any increase in these mandatory disregards would also have to apply in the calculation of the other income-related benefits, notably income support. It is estimated that a total disregard of all war pensions for income support purposes would cost around a further £35 million in additional benefit expenditure.
Thus, when these costs are added to the £25 million cost of the present mandatory disregards, it can be seen that, for all the income-related benefits, the estimated overall cost of a mandatory total disregard would be in the region of £120 million. This would be in addition to the estimated £1.4 billion expenditure on war pensions for 1996-97.
Notes:
1 Estimates are based upon data given in Local Authority subsidy returns for 1994-95; the May 1994 Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry; and the 1991, 1992 and 1993 Family Expenditure Surveys.
Mr. Churchill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average cost per head to public funds in respect of social security payments over and above the standard retirement or widow's pension of (a) retirement pensioners generally and (b) retirement pensioners in the last two years of their lives. [4379]
Mr. Heald:
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows:
18 Nov 1996 : Column: 455
Mr. Churchill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many British pensioners qualified for a state retirement pension in those countries where the pension is frozen at (a) the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) a year previously; and what factors underlie the increase over that period of his estimate of the payment of fully indexed pensions. [4382]
Mr. Heald:
In July 1996, the most recent date for which figures are available, United Kingdom state retirement and widow's pensions were paid to 429,647 beneficiaries in countries where the pensions are frozen. Corresponding figures for July 1995 are not available. In January 1995, such pensions were paid to 400,742 beneficiaries. The increase over the period January 1995 to July 1996 in the cost of extending annual cost of living increases to beneficiaries whose pensions are frozen is attributable to (a) the rise in the number of pensioners in receipt of frozen pensions and (b) the increase in benefit rates by 2.2 per cent. in April 1995 and 3.9 per cent. in April 1996.
Mr. Rooney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for national insurance contributions holidays have been received since April 1995; how many have been successful by standard region and Great Britain as a whole and by (a) gender and (b) ethnicity and specifying the numbers who were (i) registered unemployed, (ii) recipients of a training allowance, (iii) lone parents and (iv) carers. [4434]
Mr. Heald:
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows:
The estimates have been uprated to 1996-97 levels.
In compiling these estimates, expenditure has been rounded, where appropriate, to the nearest £5 million.
Estimates are broad order estimates only, due to a lack of comprehensive data.
The cost of social security on the elderly per elderly person per week is £14.
Notes:
Figure rounded to the nearest £1.
Sources:
1. Departmental Report March 1996--the figures used are for benefit expenditure on Elderly people i.e. those aged 60 or over excluding retirement pension--basic element and earning related component.
2. Population estimates unit, Office of National Statistics.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Applications | 2,039 |
| Successful applications | 1,679 |
| Unsuccessful applications | 279 |
| Awaiting further information | 81 |
| Number | |
|---|---|
| North | 188 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 254 |
| East Midlands | 174 |
| East Anglia | 56 |
| South East | 233 |
| South West | 162 |
| West Midlands | 174 |
| North West | 166 |
| Wales | 80 |
| Scotland | 142 |
| Greater London | 50 |
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Male | 1,435 |
| Female | 244 |
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