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Pensions (Cohabitees)
Mr. Bill Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the pension rights of unmarried co-habitating individuals whose partners have died, with particular reference to occupational pensions. [8181]
Mr. Heald: There is no legal obstacle to the payment of survivors' pensions to unmarried partners who are financially dependent on ex-members.
Under Inland Revenue rules, payments on a member's death may be made by a scheme to a surviving spouse or someone who was financially dependent on the member. Any question as to whether or not a person is financially dependent and/or entitled to a survivor's benefit is a matter for schemes to decide for themselves and will depend on the provisions made by the rules of the scheme.
Benefits (Durham)
Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in the Durham benefit area are currently in receipt of (a) family credit and (b) income support; and what is the total sum received. [8076]
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not available in the format requested. The family credit and income support computer systems record details of the total amount of benefit administered. It is not possible to give a breakdown to show the amount paid by individual benefit areas.
Statistics are available which give the number of families in receipt of family credit and income support by Benefits Agency district. The Durham area is dealt with
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by Durham North district which includes offices at Durham, Stanley, Chester-le-Street, Peterlee and Seaham and Durham South district which includes offices at Darlington and Bishop Auckland.
The most recent details available are for August 1996 and are as follows:
| Number of families in receipt of family credit | Number of families in receipt of income support | |
|---|---|---|
| North Durham | 6,213 | 28,547 |
| South Durham | 4,254 | 21,228 |
| Total | 10,467 | 49,775 |
Figures are provisional and subject to change.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the total cost of (a) income support and (b) family credit payments has been in each year since 1990 in Darlington. [9733]
Mr. Evans: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
War Pensions
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many veterans have a disability assessed at more than 40 per cent. [8663]
Mr. Heald: Under the war pension scheme, awards may be made in respect of disablement due to service and in respect of disablement suffered by certain other groups, for example, by merchant seamen injured as a result of enemy action during the second world war. At the end of September 1996, the disablement of 106,572 war pensioners was assessed at 40 per cent. or more; 102,425 of these awards were in respect of disablement due to service in the armed forces.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what are the projected expenditure consequences arising from the implementation of each of the changes to war pensions outlined in the Budget;[8667]
- (2) what savings will be made by ending the sending out of reminders to veterans to return claim forms or to seek an increase in entitlement. [8669]
Mr. Heald: The information is in the table.
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| 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| War pensions mobility supplement 40 per cent. disablement gateway | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Allowance for lowered standard 40 per cent. disablement gateway | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Unemployability Supplement 80 per cent. disablement gateway | |||
| Allowance for lowered standard no claims from over age 65 | Combined for all four options | ||
| Unemployability Supplement no claims from over age 65 | |||
| Widows rent allowance--no new claims | negligible saving | ||
| Cease reminders to return claim forms | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| No copy decisions to third parties | not costed | ||
| Abandon long-term assessment (LTA) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Require evidence to justify review | +neg. | 0.5 | 1 |
| Backdating--new rules | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Align payment start dates | negligible cost | ||
| Automatic War widow's pension for 80 per cent. and Unemployability supplement cases | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| War widow's pension restoration for cohabitees | negligible cost | ||
| Abolition of gratuities on remarriage/cohabitation | not yet costed | ||
| Clothing allowance one rate (the higher) | 0.5 | 0.5 | -0.5 |
| Funeral grants for 80 per cent. and Unemployability supplement cases | negligible cost | ||
| Remove rank differentials for gratuities | -0.5 | -0.5 | -0.5 |
| Total | 5 | 10 | 15 |
1. Estimates rounded to the nearest £0.5 million. Estimates of less than £0.25 million are given as negligible.
2. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding.
3. All figures are estimates of savings and costs of the proposed changes designed to simplify and rationalise the war pensions scheme and which are subject to consultation with the Central Advisory Committee.
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Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what consultation he held with (a) the Chief Medical Officer and (b) the Royal National Institute for the Deaf on the medical evidence in relation to hearing loss of war pensioners; and if he will make a statement.[8720]
Mr. Heald: A copy of the texts of the medical advisor's address to the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions which describes the consultation that has been held on this issue and gives the medical references on which the change in medical opinion has been based have been placed in the Library.
Child Maintenance Bonus
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of (a) the cost and (b) the numbers expected to gain from the introduction of the child maintenance bonus. [8867]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: It is estimated that in the first year--1997-98--some 40,000 parents with care will qualify for a bonus at a cost of around £5 million.
Benefit Changes
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of (a) the changes in Government expenditure and (b) the number of people who will be affected by the proposals to change (i) rules on backdating claims, (ii) waiting days for the jobseeker's allowance, (iii) rules for war pensioners, (iv) disability living allowance claims from people between 65 and 66 years, (v) housing benefit, (vi) council tax benefit, (vii) lone parents' benefits and (viii) increases to non-dependant deductions. [8868]
Mr. Burt: The information is in the tables:
| 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (i) Rules on back-dating claims | -90 | -120 | -135 |
| (ii) Waiting days for jobseeker's allowance | 0 | 0 | -65 |
| (iii) Rules for war pensioners | -5 | -10 | -15 |
| (iv) Disability Living Allowance | 0 | -20 | -45 |
| (v) Housing benefit | -10 | -60 | -90 |
| (vi) Council tax benefit | 0 | -15 | -15 |
| (vii) Lone parents' benefits | 0 | -60 | -135 |
| (viii) Increases to non-dependent deductions | -45 | -45 | -50 |
1. Figures shown are net savings to social security expenditure.
2. Savings are rounded to the nearest £5 million.
3. Savings from these measures included in Departmental plan.
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| Thousand | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | |
| (i) Rules on back-dating claims | 390 | 435 | 465 |
| (ii) Waiting days for jobseeker's allowance | 0 | 0 | 1,900 |
| (iii) Rules for war pensioners | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| (iv) Disability living allowance | 0 | 10 | 25 |
| (v) Housing benefit | 90 | 275 | 370 |
| (vii) Council tax benefit | 0 | 65 | 65 |
| (vii) Lone parents' benefits | |||
| One parent benefit | 0 | 80 | 150 |
| Income support | 0 | 270 | 450 |
| Housing benefit | 0 | 55 | 105 |
| Council tax benefit | 0 | 45 | 85 |
| (viii) Increases to non-dependent deductions | 495 | 495 | 495 |
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5,000, except for jobseeker's allowance, where they are rounded to the nearest 100,000.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the impact of recent benefit changes on the workload of the Benefits Agency. [9308]
Mr. Roger Evans: This is an operational matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Jim Cunningham, dated 16 December 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if he will make a statement on the impact of recent benefit changes on the workload of the Benefits Agency (BA).
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Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what basis the figures for cases and savings projected in his press release on proposed housing benefit and council tax benefit changes 96/265 were calculated; and what estimate he has made of the geographical distribution of (a) the single people under 60 years who are private sector housing benefit claimants and (b) the band F or higher council tax claimants. [8512]
There have been three main priorities for the BA in 1996/97, the delivery of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and Incapacity Benefit (IB), continuing our main business of calculating and paying benefits to safeguard benefit spending, and beginning the process of restructuring our business for the future to meet the challenge of the Department's Change Programme.
The introduction of JSA and IB have been massive and complex undertakings requiring a great deal of planning and effort. The new benefits bring with them new computer systems, procedures, forms and regulations that have inevitably added to the Agency's workload. Since the introduction of JSA on 7 October 1996 the continued effort and commitment of my staff and those of our colleagues in Employment Services in bedding-in the changes and stabilising the benefit delivery processes has been considerable. Where it has proved necessary to ensure the successful delivery of these projects, additional resources have been made available.
The BA vision still remains to pay the right benefit, to the right person, at the right time, every time. Service to the public and the delivery of all other benefits has been and will be maintained.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
| Region | Caseload (000s) |
|---|---|
| North | 14 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 25 |
| East Midlands | 19 |
| East Anglia | 11 |
| South East | 150 |
| Greater London | 93 |
| Rest of South East | 57 |
| South West | 38 |
| West Midlands | 19 |
| North West | 46 |
| Wales | 20 |
| Scotland | 25 |
| Total | 366 |
Source:
HBMIS annual 1 per cent. sample enquiries with and without income support taken at the end of May 1995.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand, therefore component parts may not sum.
2. Information refers to deregulated tenants only.
3. Estimates for Housing Benefit are based upon the May 1994 HBMIS and Rent Officer data for the first quarter of 1996.
4. All figures have been uprated to the Public Expenditure Survey (PES) years using the Departmental Forecasting Report.
| Region | Caseloads (000s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band F | Band G | Band H | All | |
| North | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| East Midlands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| East Anglia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| South East outside London | 10 | 4 | 0 | 14 |
| Greater London | 16 | 9 | 1 | 26 |
| South West | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| West Midlands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| North West | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Wales | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Scotland | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Total | 42 | 20 | 0 | 63 |
Source:
HBMIS annual 1 per cent. enquiries with and without income support taken at the end of May 1995.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand, therefore component parts may not sum.
2. A "O" does not necessarily indicate that there are no cases, merely that the rounding is to zero.
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