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Home Responsibility Payments
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment she has made of the arrangements for recording entitlement to home responsibility payments for those in receipt of child benefit, in order to determine their future pension entitlement. [10311]
Mr. Denham: Awards of child benefit are notified automatically to the DSS national insurance recording system computer. The benefit calculation in NIRS takes account of awards when determining the rate of basic retirement pension to which the individual is entitled to on reaching state pension age.
Low-Income Households
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was (a) the average annual change in real incomes for people in the bottom income decile in each year since 1978-9 and (b) the cumulative change in real incomes for people in the bottom income decile since 1978-79. [10845]
Mr. Keith Bradley: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
| Year | Before housing costs | After housing costs |
|---|---|---|
| 1979-1981 | -2 | -4 |
| 1981-1987 | 7 | 0 |
| 1987-1988-89 | -2 | -3 |
| 1988-89 to 1990-91 | -4 | -8 |
| 1990-91 to 1991-92 | 1 | -4 |
| 1991-92 to 1992-93 | 1 | -1 |
| 1992-93 to 1993-94 | 5 | 6 |
Source:
Households below average income.
Notes:
1. For 1988-89 to 1992-93 the information is provided for two calendar years combined; 1993-94 represents the financial years 1993-94 and 1994-95 combined.
2. The survey does not track the same people over time and those at the bottom of the income distribution in one year are not the same people as in another year.
3. Small changes in estimates from year to year, particularly at the bottom of the income distribution, may not be significant in view of data uncertainties.
28 Jul 1997 : Column: 109
Care and Mobility Assistance
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people received Government help with their care or mobility needs in (a) 1978-79 and (b) 1996-97. [10848]
Mr. Denham: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table. This relates solely to help provided through social security benefits.
| Thousands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Benefit | December 1979 | May 1997 |
| Attendance allowance | (27)269 | (28)1,174 |
| Mobility allowance | (29)113 | -- |
| Disability living allowance | -- | (28)1,885 |
| Thousands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Benefit | December 1979 | June 1997 |
| Constant attendance allowance | 6 | 5 |
| War pensions mobility | ||
| supplement | -- | 22 |
(27) Source: Estimated from a 100 per cent. count of statistical records adjusted to reflect estimates of the extent to which they overstate the number of live cases.
(28) Source: 5 per cent. sample.
(29) Source: 100 per cent. count. Figure does not include 24,000 awards of mobility allowance current under the Vehicle Scheme Beneficiaries Regulations 1977, formerly special mobility allowance.
Notes:
1. Disability living allowance was introduced in April 1992. It replaced and considerably extended the help that was given by attendance allowance for people disabled before the age of 65, and mobility allowance.
2. War pensioners mobility supplement was not introduced until 1983.
3. In addition, care and mobility needs may also be met through the disability and higher pensioner premiums payable with income-related benefits.
Expenditure Plans
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what rate of real increase in earnings is assumed in her Department's expenditure plans. [10569]
28 Jul 1997 : Column: 110
Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 25 July 1997]: I have been asked to reply.
Departments stuck to the cash totals previously agreed for expenditure within the control total. Therefore, no earnings assumption was required in the July Budget.
Mr. Grieve:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate she has made of the total value of private pension funds in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Germany, (c) France, (d) Italy, and (e) the EU as a whole. [10844]
Mr. Denham:
The Government are committed to supporting and strengthening the framework for occupational pensions and to create a new framework of secure, flexible and value-for-money second-tier pensions for those who do not have the opportunity of contributing to a second pension either because they lack the resources or because they do not have access to a decent second scheme.
| Estimated total value of private pension funds | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| (£ billion) | ||
| United Kingdom | 750 | 1995 |
| Germany | 195 | 1994 |
| France | 35 | 1992 |
| Italy | 5 | 1991 |
| European Union | 1,270 | -- |
Notes:
1. The United Kingdom estimate was produced by the Government Actuary's Department on behalf of the Association of British Insurers using information from the Office for National Statistics and the Department of Trade and Industry.
2. The estimates for other EU countries are based on data from "Supplementary Pensions in the European Union" published by the European Commission and "International Benefits Information Service" bulletin, April 1996.
3. The estimates for the EU as a whole contains estimates of individual countries at different periods of time and so should be viewed solely as an indication of the likely order of magnitude.
4. All estimates are rounded to the nearest £5 billion.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimates she has made of the amount that changes to benefit rules for asylum seekers introduced in the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 will save in each of the next five years. [10884]
Mr. Keith Bradley: We are committed to a wide-ranging review of social security. With the Home Office, the Department of Health and other Departments, we will consider all arrangements for asylum seekers to ensure they are dealt with fairly and promptly.
The information requested is in the table:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| Financial year | Estimated savings across all Benefits |
| 1997-98 | 275 |
| 1998-99 | 310 |
| 1999-00 | 320 |
| 2000-01 | 330 |
| 2001-02 | 340 |
28 Jul 1997 : Column: 111
Social Fund
Ms Julie Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many reviews of discretionary social
28 Jul 1997 : Column: 112
fund payments were undertaken by the independent review service in the last year; and in how many cases the original decision was upheld. [10916]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
In 1996-97, social fund inspectors reviewed 27,121 cases. In 16,756 cases, the decision of the social fund officer was confirmed.