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Disability Working Allowance
Mr. Alan Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of (a) the cost and (b) the numbers gaining if the disability test used at renewal stage were added to the list of qualifying benefits for new claims for disability working allowance. [15415]
14 Feb 1997 : Column: 339
Mr. Andrew Mitchell:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Bradley) on 30 April 1996, Official Report, column 476.
Mr. Alan Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current percentage of public spending taken up by social security; what was the equivalent figure in (a) 1979, (b) 1987 and (c) 1992; and what has been the percentage increase since 1979. [15426]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell:
The information is set out in the table:
Grand total of social security expenditure expressed as a percentage of General Government Expenditure (X) (GGE (X))
1979-80: 23 per cent.
1987-88: 28 per cent.
1992-93: 30 per cent.
1996-97: 31 per cent.
This is a percentage increase of 35 per cent. between 1979-80 and 1996-97.
Sources:
1. March 1996 social security departmental report and earlier equivalents.
2. Financial statement and budget report 1996-97. The figures for the relevant years are shown in Table 6a: Point 1.
Notes:
1. Outturn figures are used for the period 1979-80, 1987-88 and 1992-93. The figure for 1996-97 is estimated outturn.
2. Grand total of social security spending; this includes both expenditure on benefits and their administration as well as additional local authority spending on housing and council tax/community charge benefit.
3. General Government Expenditure (X)" (GGE(X)); this excludes privatisation proceeds, expenditure out of the proceeds of the national lottery, and receipt of interest and dividends from public corporations and the private sector.
Income Support
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest estimate of (a) the numbers gaining and (b) the cost of extending payments of income support for four weeks to people who (i) are unemployed, (ii) have been unemployed for two years or more and (iii) are claimants in receipt of a disability premium. [15427]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table: Estimate of the number gaining and cost of extending payment of jobseeker's allowance (income based) for four weeks to the unemployed who come off the benefit because they have found work by duration of unemployment in 1997-98
| All unemployed | Unemployed for two years or more | |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers gaining | 1,580,000 | 30,000 |
| Cost | £340 million | £10 million |
1. Costs are rounded to the nearest £10 million, the number of gainers is rounded to the nearest 10,000.
2. Figures are based on estimates of the number of unemployed leaving jobseeker's allowance (income based) for work in a full year consistent with Her Majesty's Treasury unemployment assumption of 1.8 million in 1997-98.
3. Behavioural changes have not been taken into account.
14 Feb 1997 : Column: 340
Family Credit
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 566, how many of the gainers from a reduction in the family credit taper to (a) 60 per cent. and (b) 50 per cent. would be (i) employed lone parents, (ii) employed couples, (iii) self-employed lone parents and (iv) self-employed couples. [15428]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The information is set out in the table.
| Family type | 60 per cent. taper | 50 per cent. taper |
|---|---|---|
| Couples | ||
| Employed | 305,000 | 445,000 |
| Self-employed | 55,000 | 75,000 |
| Lone parents | ||
| Employed | 210,000 | 240,000 |
| Self-employed | 15,000 | 15,000 |
| Total | 585,000 | 770,000 |
1. Estimates are based on the 1994-95 Family Resources Survey uprated to 1997-98 prices and benefit levels.
2. Estimates are rounded to the nearest 5,000 and may not sum exactly due to rounding.
Claimants (Exempt Work)
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people on (a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disablement allowance have applied to undertake exempt work since April 1995; how many have subsequently undertaken work; and how many have been refused by reason for refusal. [15429]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Earnings Disregard
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of raising the earnings disregard to £25 for each individual adult in a benefit unit claiming (a) income support, (b) housing benefit and (c) council tax benefit, for 1997-98 and 1998-99; and what is his estimate of (i) the cost and (ii) the numbers gaining for each benefit. [15430]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The information is set out in the table.
Source:
May 1995 Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry and 1994-95 Family Resources survey.
Notes:
1. Costs are rounded to the nearest £5 million and gainers/losers to the nearest 5,000.
2. A negative figure denotes costs or gainers, and a positive figure indicates savings or losers.
3. All disregards were increased simultaneously. Increased Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit costs arising from new entitlement to Income Support are included in the Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit costs and gainers respectively.
4. Benefit units entitled to either Family Credit or Income Support are assumed to claim the benefit which gives them a higher net income. Hence some families leave Family Credit to claim Income Support.
5. This is a deadweight estimate. There is insufficient information on which to estimate a behavioural response.
6. Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance cases are excluded from the estimate of Income Support.
14 Feb 1997 : Column: 341
War Pensions
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by (a) region, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) type of impairment the number of war pensioners making claims for benefit. [15504]
Mr. Heald: The information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Such information as is available is as follows:
Two thousand one hundred and fifty-one new claims for war pensions were received in January 1997, the latest month for which figures are available, and 3,725 claims from existing war pensioners were received for further disablements.
Mr. Denham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his current estimate of the savings which will result from changes to the administration of claims to the War Pensions Agency. [15505]
Mr. Heald:
The information is as follows:
Mr. Denham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on his Department's correspondence with Mark Lutman and Adrian Davis regarding their evidence on the subject of noise-induced hearing loss; and if he will publish the correspondence. [15506]
14 Feb 1997 : Column: 342
Mr. Heald:
My right hon. and noble Friend the Lord MacKay of Ardbrecknish, the Minister of State for Social Security, received an open letter signed by four leading experts in hearing loss including professors Lutman and Davis. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library. The letter confirms that noise-induced hearing loss and hearing loss due to aging are broadly additive. It is that medical opinion which is now being applied in the assessment of claims for war disablement pension.
The changes affect future entitlement only.
Estimated reduction in forecast programme expenditure (rounded to the nearest £5 million)
1997-98: £5 million
1998-99: £10 million
1999-2000: £15 million
Estimated reduction in forecast expenditure on administration (rounded to the nearest £0.1 million)
1997-98: £0.7 million
1998-99: £1.0 million
1999-2000: £1.0 million
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