---

Means-tested Benefits

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will estimate for each non means tested benefit the age distribution of present claimants; what are the age-related eligibility criteria for new claimants of each benefit; and if she will estimate the distribution of present claimants (a) individually and (b) by their household within the national income range for all households and individuals. [22974]

Mr. Denham: The information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is set out in tables, copies of which can be found in the Library.

Multiple Sclerosis

Audrey Wise: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of disability living allowance have Multiple Sclerosis. [24067]

Mr. Denham: The total number of people receiving Disability Living Allowance where Multiple Sclerosis is given as the main disabling condition is 45,100. No figures are available for the number of people receiving the benefit who have more than one condition, including Multiple Sclerosis, but where that is not given as the main disabling condition.

Fuel Costs (Pensioners)

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate she has made of the level of take-up of the money being made available to help

26 Jan 1998 : Column: 112

pensioners meet their fuel costs this winter; and for what reasons she has decided to launch a national advertising campaign about this money. [25287]

Mr. Denham: The additional help of £400 million over this winter and next, announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Official Report, 25 November 1997, columns 773-98, demonstrates the Government's commitment to help keep the elderly warm in their homes.

The level of take-up of Winter Fuel Payments is not an issue as they will be made automatically without the need to make a claim. Around one and a half million payments of £50 are currently being made to the poorest pensioners, those receiving Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.

Other eligible pensioners will receive a payment of £20 or £10. Where there is only one eligible person in the household, or the eligible person is of no fixed abode, they will receive £20; otherwise, each person will receive £10. Almost 10 million payments will be made to over seven million pensioner households this winter. This programme means that the great majority of payments will be sent buy the end of March.

We see it as important that pensioners should know as soon as possible how much they will receive, as well as how and when it will be paid. This will help them to plan, confident in the knowledge that they will receive extra money towards their fuel bills. The simplest and most cost-effective way to let them know that a payment will be made is through publicity. Therefore, a multi-media campaign was swiftly launched in conjunction with Help the Aged, Age Concern and the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux.

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money the Government are spending on the advertising campaign about the money being made available to help pensioners with their winter fuel bills this winter. [25286]

Mr. Denham: The costs of the advertising and other publicity to inform pensioners about Winter Fuel Payments will be £1.7 million.

We see it as important that pensioners should know as soon as possible how much they will receive, as well as how and when it will be paid. This will help them to plan confident in the knowledge that they will receive extra money towards their fuel bills. The simplest and most cost-effective way to let them know that a payment will be made is through publicity. Therefore, a multi-media campaign was swiftly launched in conjunction with Help the Aged, Age Concern and the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureau.

Welfare Reform Focus

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will recalculate the table on page 6 of Welfare Reform Focus File 1 on the basis of income distribution before housing costs. [24681]

Mr. Field: The information is set out in the table.

26 Jan 1998 : Column: 113

The proportion of benefit spending by 20 per cent. bands of the income distribution before housing costsPercentage

Quintile	1979	1994-95
Poorest	42	28
2	24	32
3	15	19
4	11	12
Richest	9	8

Note:

1. Figures do not sum exactly due to rounding.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will estimate on the basis of the information used on page 6 of Welfare Reform Focus File 6 the percentage of employees earning above the lower earnings limit who are contributing to an occupational pension by (a) gender, (b) region (c) broad socio-economic group and (d) broad heading of industrial classification. [24682]

Mr. Denham: The information on gender and broad heading of industrial classification for employees earning above the lower earnings limit can be found in tables 2.1 and 2.2 of "Occupational Pensions Schemes 1991--the Ninth Survey by the Government Actuary", a copy of which is in the Library. The information requested on region is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

26 Jan 1998 : Column: 114

Information on the membership of current employer's pension schemes by sex and socio-economic group can be found in table 8.8 of "Living in Britain--Results from the 1995 General Household Survey", which is also in the Library. However, this table refers to all employees aged 16 and over, and not simply employees earning above the lower earnings limit.

The Government are committed to support and strengthen the existing occupational pensions framework. We wish to raise standards, and encourage the best schemes to be emulated. As part of the Pensions Review, the Government are looking at how we might establish a Quality in Pensions award to mark the highest quality occupational provision.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will estimate, using the information base shown on page 3 of Welfare Reform Focus File 6, the size of average (a) gross and (b) net pensioner incomes in each decile of pensioner incomes, the amount and percentage of total income accounted for by (i) retirement and (ii) other state pensions in each decile (1) on a gross and (2) on a net basis; and if she will indicate whether this information is presented on an individual or household basis. [24677]

Mr. Denham: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table.

26 Jan 1998 : Column: 113

			Retirement pension		Other State pensions
Deciles of pensioner units	Mean gross income	Mean net income	Mean	Per cent. mean gross income	Mean	Per cent. mean gross income
	(£)	(£)	(£)		(£)
Bottom decile	69.90	63.10	56.50	81	0.60	1
Decile 2	92.40	84.70	64.00	69	1.40	2
Decile 3	107.40	98.70	63.20	59	2.20	2
Decile 4	118.90	108.40	68.10	57	0.90	1
Decile 5	134.20	121.80	75.20	56	0.60	negligible
Decile 6	154.30	140.60	83.00	54	2.90	2
Decile 7	179.40	163.60	81.90	46	4.30	2
Decile 8	218.40	195.00	87.40	40	6.70	3
Decile 9	290.30	252.30	89.70	31	7.00	2
Top decile	602.50	473.90	94.50	16	2.80	negligible

Notes:

1. The estimates refer to all pension units. A pension unit is defined to be either a single (non-cohabiting) person over State Pension Age, or couples (married or cohabiting) where the man, defined as the head, is over State Pension Age.

2. All figures are in July 1995 prices and rounded to the nearest 10 pence.

3. The deciles are calculated on the basis of unequivalised net income before housing costs.

4. Retirement Pension includes basic Retirement Pension, State Earnings Related Pension, Graduated Retirement Benefit, and any increments thereof.

5. Other State Pensions includes Widow's Benefit and Incapacity Benefit.

Source:

The Pensioners' Incomes Series 1995-96, which is based mainly on Family Expenditure Survey data.

26 Jan 1998 : Column: 113

Departmental Report

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what date the DSS Departmental Report and spending plans for 1998-99 to 2000-01 will be published. [23954]

Mr. Field: We intend to publish a Departmental Report after the Budget which will include spending plans for 1998-99. Spending plans covering the period to 2000-01 will emerge following the Comprehensive Spending Review.

26 Jan 1998 : Column: 114

United Kingdom EU Presidency

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will make a statement on her Department's plans and priorities for the United Kingdom presidency of the European Union. [23956]

Mr. Keith Bradley: The Department's priorities will complement the key themes of the UK Presidency, including promoting employability and tackling unemployment, creating a more effective Single Market and bringing the European Union closer to the needs of its people.

26 Jan 1998 : Column: 115

In the Council of Ministers we want to work with our EU partners to reach agreement on Social Security measures which will improve the mobility of the European Union's workers and support the Single Market. The proposed directive on supplementary pensions which is before the Council offers sensible measures to protect pension rights for employed and self-employed people who move within the EU to take up a job in another Member State. We will also be working towards agreement on ways to modernise and improve the long-standing rules that co-ordinate the interaction of member states' statutory Social Security schemes in support of the free movement of workers.

The theme of employability is central to the UK presidency and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security and Minister for Women will therefore be chairing a meeting of EU Ministers for Women to be held in Belfast on 5-6 May to specifically look at issues which affect Women's Employability. This puts women at the heart of the plans for the UK presidency. The theme will be "Employability and Women--the importance of Childcare" and the meeting will also consider the importance of family friendly employment. We look forward to being able to share with Member States the initiatives that we are taking forward here on family-friendly employment as well as the National Childcare Strategy. We also expect to gain new insights and ideas from other participating members. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security and my hon. Friend the Minister for Women will also address the Women's Rights Committee of the European Parliament on 2 February.

---