| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Benefits Statistics
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if she will list the estimated unclaimed benefit in each of the 13 area directorates of the Benefits Agency for each of the last five years for which figures are available (a) as amounts of benefit unclaimed and (b) as a percentage of total payments made for each type of benefit administered; [3215]
- (2) if she will make it a requirement for the Benefits Agency to collect and publish annual statistics estimating the level of unclaimed benefit each year for each type of benefit administered by the Agency. [3216]
Mr. Keith Bradley: The regional figures requested are not collected. The latest estimates of national take-up of Income Related Benefits were published in "Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up 1994-95", a copy of which is in the Library. These are the benefits of last resort and it is right that we pay particular attention to their take-up.
We will examine means of delivering more automatic help to the poorest pensioners--one million of whom do not even receive the income support which is their present entitlement. We are commissioning research to establish why they do not claim the benefit which is their due.
23 Jun 1997 : Column: 419
Mr. Rooney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to review the Adapt programme. [4915]
Mr. Field:
The Department is engaged in a range of private sector initiatives, one of which is Adapt. We will review all proposals in the light of our objectives for modernising the delivery of the welfare system; the implications for customer service, staff and the taxpayer; our commitment to work within the announced spending totals for the first two years of Government; our aim of getting best value for public money; the scope to apply the private sector's expertise, discipline and economies of
23 Jun 1997 : Column: 420
scale in procuring pubic services and securing investment; and the flexibility for government to make changes at a later date. Announcements will be made in due course.
Mr. Leslie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will publish the analysis of responses to the Green Paper, "Improving Decision-Making and Appeals in Social Security." [5181]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
We have today published the analysis of responses to the Green Paper carried out by the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York and arranged for copies to be placed in the Library.