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Benefits Agency (Telephone Calls)
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of claimants of benefits other than the jobseeker's allowance make their first contact with the Benefits Agency by telephone (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in Wales. [9353]
Mr. Roger Evans: This is a matter for Peter Mathison, chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
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Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Nick Ainger, dated 18 December 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of claimants of benefits other than the Jobseeker's Allowance make their first contact with the Benefits Agency (BA) by telephone (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in Wales.
The information is not available in the format requested. This is because there has been no UK customer survey on first contact with the BA since 7 October 1996, when Jobseeker's Allowance came into operation.
The statistics available from the most recent customer contact research, conducted in 1995, show percentage of first contact with BA for six benefits. The research makes no distinction between the UK as a whole and individual countries within. Consequently a breakdown of the information to show data for Wales is not available.
The findings of the research concluded that the percentage of benefit recipients whose first contacts with the BA were through the telephone was, by benefit: Income Support 35 per cent., Social Fund 40 per cent., Retirement Pension 56 per cent., Family Credit 58 per cent., Disability Living Allowance 56 per cent. and Child Benefit 57 per cent.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Family Credit
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of family credit there have been in each year since 1990 in Darlington. [9732]
Mr. Roger Evans: The administration of family credit is a matter for Peter Mathison, chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| April 1993 | 1,605 |
| October 1993 | 1,773 |
| April 1994 | 1,748 |
| October 1994 | 1,911 |
| April 1995 | 2,016 |
| October 1995 | 2,087 |
| April 1996 | 2,119 |
| October 1996 | 2,298 |
Figures are provisional and subject to change.
I hope you find this reply useful.
Benefits Agency Appointments
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Social
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Security (1) how many people were given financial assistance to travel to Benefits Agency appointments in each of the last five years; [9354]
- (2) what was the total amount paid out in financial assistance to people travelling to Benefits Agency appointments in each of the last five years. [9355]
Mr. Roger Evans: This an operational matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Reimbursement of travel in excess of £0.80: | |
| 1991-92 | 84,966 |
| 1992-93 | 100,018 |
| 1993-94 | 98,234 |
| 1994-95 | 118,189 |
| 1995-96 | 123,528 |
| Reimbursement of travel costs for attending a medical examination | |
| 1991-92 | 2,450,945 |
| 1992-93 | 2,498,012 |
| 1993-94 | (45)3,202,965 |
| 1994-95 | (46)1,589,733 |
| 1995-96 | (47)2,271,155 |
(45) The increase here is as a result of additional activity for War Pension medical referrals.
(46) The decrease reflects a transfer of funding to War Pensions Agency for medical examinations.
(47) The increase here is as a result of increased activity in respect of Incapacity Benefit medical referrals.
Figures are provisional and subject to change.
Social Security Expenditure
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out the revised estimates of (a) the number of claimants and (b) expenditure for each benefit for each year from 1995-96 to 1999-2000 which were the basis for the total expenditure figures contained in table 5.7 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report"; and if he will give equivalent information for cyclical social security expenditure in each of those years. [9284]
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Mr. Burt: Detailed breakdowns of total expenditure figures in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" are made available in the subsequent social security departmental report. This will be published in March 1997.
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out the successive estimates of the number of claimants in 1995-96 for each social security benefit (a) within the new control total and (b) included in cyclical social security expenditure, which were used as the basis for the figures published in each "Financial Statement and Budget Report" since the 1992 autumn statement. [9285]
Mr. Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Forecasts underlying: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSBR 1992(48) | FSBR 1993(49) | FSBR 1994(49) | FSBR 1995(49) | |
| New Control total | ||||
| Retirement Pension | ||||
| Basic | 10,060 | 9,800 | 10,033 | 10,231 |
| Earnings related component | -- | 4,401 | 4,299 | 4,591 |
| Widows Benefits | ||||
| Basic | 320 | 323 | 306 | 322 |
| Earnings related component | -- | 251 | 239 | 253 |
| Sickness Benefit | 135 | 159 | n/a | n/a |
| Statutory Sick Pay | 330 | 10 | 10 | |
| Invalidity Benefit | 10 | |||
| Basic | 1,775 | 1,773 | n/a | n/a |
| Earnings related component | -- | 1,702 | n/a | n/a |
| Incapacity Benefit | ||||
| Short Term | n/a | n/a | 223 | 214 |
| Long Term | n/a | n/a | 1,673 | 1,670 |
| Earnings related component | 1,482 | 1,467 | ||
| Maternity Allowance | 15 | 19 | 14 | 12 |
| Statutory Maternity Pay | 90 | 90 | 90 | 95 |
| Guardians' Allowance/Child's | ||||
| Special Allowance | -- | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Non-contributory Retirement Pension | 30 | 30 | 32 | 33 |
| War Pension | 305 | 357 | 346 | 341 |
| Attendance Allowance | 1,050 | 1,138 | 1,044 | 1,099 |
| Invalid Care Allowance | 270 | 306 | 301 | 323 |
| Severe Disablement Allowance | 360 | 338 | 350 | 365 |
| Disability Living Allowance | 1,160 | 1,430 | 1,483 | 1,609 |
| Disability Working Allowance | 25 | 53 | 9 | 8 |
| Industrial Disablement Benefit | 285 | 300 | 335 | 322 |
| Industrial Death Benefit | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 |
| Other Industrial Injuries Benefit | -- | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Income Support - New Control Total | 1,848 | 1,851 | 1,757 | |
| Income Support - Total | 6,215 | 6,213 | 5,831 | 5,585 |
| Child Benefit: | ||||
| Number of children | 12,855 | 12,885 | 12,754 | 12,900 |
| Number of families | 7,105 | 7,064 | 6,955 | 7,065 |
| One Parent Benefit | 1,030 | 1,036 | 943 | 1,005 |
| Family Credit | 490 | 603 | 640 | 627 |
| Rent rebate | 3,545 | 3,244 | 2,906 | 2,902 |
| Rent Allowance | 1,355 | 1,479 | 1,817 | 1,805 |
| Community Charge/Council Tax | ||||
| Benefit | 7,185 | 5,453 | 5,637 | 5,642 |
| Cyclical Social Security | ||||
| Unemployment Benefit | 725 | 697 | 474 | 424 |
| Income Support--cyclical | 4,365 | 3,980 | 3,828 | |
(48) Table 6 of 1993 department report - (average annual caseload).
(49) Underlying caseload forecasts used as the basis for the expenditure forecasts in Table 1 of the 1994, 1995, 1996 departmental reports - (average annual caseload).
(50) Cyclical social security was defined in July 1992 and is only available for plans for 1993-94 and beyond.
1. Figures cannot be totalled as individual claimants may be in receipt of more than one benefit.
-- data not available.
n/a = not applicable.
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Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out the plans in each Budget since 1992 for Government spending for each year to 1999-2000 in respect of (a) social security expenditure within the new control total and (b) the level of cyclical social security expenditure. [9286]
Mr. Burt: The information is in the tables.
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| £ million | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | |
| 1992 plans | 65,015 | 67,150 | 70,750 | (51)-- | (51)-- | (51)-- | (51)-- |
| 1993 plans | 68,771 | 72,900 | 76,150 | (51)-- | (51)-- | (51)-- | |
| 1994 plans | 72,798 | 75,950 | 79,200 | (51)-- | (51)-- | ||
| 1995 plans | 76,274 | 79,050 | 81,700 | (51)-- | |||
| 1996 plans | 79,740 | 82,950 | 86,200 |
(51) Figures are not available as plans were not produced at the time for these years.
1. Plans for 1992 to 1995 inclusive are those published in the relevant social security departmental reports (1993-96). Control total figures for 1996 are those published in the FSBR. Cyclical social security figures are those published in the FSBR excluding Northern Ireland.
2. Figures are the total Department of Social Security expenditure on benefits and administration. They do not include other benefit expenditure administered by local authorities and other Government Departments.
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| £ million | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | |
| 1992 plans | 14,744 | 15,800 | 16,250 | (52)-- | (52)-- | (52)-- | (52)-- |
| 1993 plans | 14,223 | 14,900 | 15,600 | (52)-- | (52)-- | (52)-- | |
| 1994 plans | 13,459 | 13,400 | 13,800 | (52)-- | (52)-- | ||
| 1995 plans | 13,292 | 13,550 | 14,000 | (52)-- | |||
| 1996 plans | 13,515 | 13,638 | 14,008 |
(52) Figures are not available as plans were not produced at the time for these years.
1. Plans for 1992 to 1995 inclusive are those published in the relevant social security departmental reports (1993-96). Control total figures for 1996 are those published in the FSBR. Cyclical social security figures are those published in the FSBR excluding Northern Ireland.
2. Figures are the total Department of Social Security expenditure on benefits and administration. They do not include other benefit expenditure administered by local authorities and other Government Departments.
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Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the basis for the statement in paragraph 5.64 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" relating to the advantage of encouraging private provision in pensions as part of the reform of social security expenditure; and what savings resulted from that policy. [9287]
Mr. Heald: The Government are committed to funded occupational and personal pension provision, and have encouraged growth in this area by the introduction of greater choice and flexibility in pension options. As a result, this country is almost uniquely well placed to meet its pension promises in the new millennium. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund have acknowledged the strong position of the UK compared with other countries.
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update the forecasts of the growth of social security, given in figure 10 of the DSS departmental report (Cm 3213) (a) on the basis of the latest FSBR projections concerning the level of unemployment (b) on the assumption of a constant level of unemployment and (c) using the unemployment assumption as contained in Cm 3213. [9289]
Mr. Burt: Long-term projections of social security benefit expenditure will be made available in the social security departmental report, which will be published in March. I will write separately to the hon. Member about any information he has requested in his answer which is not answered in the departmental report when it is published.
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out (a) in cash terms and (b) at constant prices (i) the actual outturn and (ii) Budget estimated outturn of cyclical social security expenditure in each year since 1992; and if he will show the principal factors which affected the difference for each year between the actual outturn and the estimated outturn. [9290]
Mr. Burt: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| Expenditure | |
| Cash Prices | |
| 1993 plans | |
| 1993-94 estimated outturn(53) | 13,470 |
| Outturn(55) | 13,822 |
| 1994 plans | |
| 1994-95 estimated outturn(54) | 13,602 |
| Outturn(55) | 13,697 |
| 1995 plans | |
| 1995-96 estimated outturn(55) | 13,942 |
| 1995-96 current estimated outturn(56) | 13,904 |
| Real terms (1996-97 prices) | |
| 1993 plans | |
| 1993-94 estimated outturn(53) | 14,394 |
| Outturn(55) | 14,770 |
| 1994 plans | |
| 1994-95 estimated outturn(54) | 14,281 |
| Outturns(55) | 14,381 |
| 1995 plans | |
| 1995-96 estimated outturn(55) | 14,291 |
| 1995-96 current estimated outturn(56) | 14,252 |
(53) March 1994 departmental report.
(54) March 1995 departmental report.
(55) March 1996 departmental report.
(56) 1995-96--Cyclical social security includes benefits paid from the national insurance fund. The 1995-96 accounts for national insurance fund are not yet published so final outturn figures are not available.
1. Data for 1992-93 have not been provided as cyclical social security spending was only defined for public expenditure purposes in July 1992. Estimated outturn figures for social security for 1992-93 were therefore not on the same basis and are not directly comparable with plans for 1993-94 and beyond.
2. The principal factors giving rise to the differences in expenditure between estimated and actual outturn were: higher than anticipated increases in numbers of lone parents and sick and disabled receiving income support; higher than anticipated average amounts paid to income support recipients; and lower than anticipated numbers of unemployed claimants.
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