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Family Credit
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what research his Department has commissioned on the financial effect on families of the additional family credit benefits paid to those who work 30 hours or more. [69850]
Angela Eagle: There has been no research commissioned specifically to examine the financial impact of the 30 hour credit on couple family finances. However, starting in 1991 the Department has carried out a series of surveys as part of the Programme of Research into Low Income Families (PRILIF).
The first survey, in 1991, included couple and lone parent families. Since that time the focus has been on lone parents. One of the key objectives of this research has been to explore the impact of Family Credit on lone parent family finances in relation to work. The report "Lone Parents on the Margins of Work", published in the
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Department's Research Series in 1998, used data from the 1994 survey of lone parents 1 to make a preliminary estimate of the likely impact of the 30 hour credit on incentives to work among lone parents.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the average family credit award in 1997-98 in the Portsmouth area. [69687]
Angela Eagle:
A complete set of data for the whole of 1997-1998 will not be available until April 1999. The latest information is for August 1998 at which time the average award of Family Credit in the Portsmouth Local Authority District was £59.80 per week.
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Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish his Department's collation and assessment of responses to each of the Government's public consultations. [69770]
Mr. Timms:
Lists of those organisations and academics who responded to our consultation papers, excluding those who requested confidentiality, have been placed in the House Libraries. Copies of their responses are available on request from the Department.
Responses are assessed as individual policy areas are developed and announcements made.
Mr. Rammell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost to public funds of increasing the basic state pension to the level of the minimum pension guarantee. [70256]
Mr. Timms:
I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer my hon. Friend the then Minister of State, Department of Social Security gave my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 18 November 1998, Official Report, columns 624-25.
Miss Geraldine Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes there will be to widows' pensions after 2000 resulting from legislation enacted prior to 1 May 1997. [70326]
Mr. Timms:
As a result of legislation enacted prior to 1 May 1997, the amount of SERPS which a widow can inherit from her late husband is being reduced from 100 per cent. to 50 per cent. for a woman widowed on or after 6 April 2000. Widows already receiving inherited SERPS will not be affected.
This change was part of a package of SERPS reforms introduced by the Social Security Act 1986. Other changes included a phased reduction in the rate at which SERPS pensions build up, from 25 per cent. of reckonable earnings to 20 per cent., and the ending of the "best 20 years" provision.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received about allegations concerning the claiming of UK housing benefit by non-EU citizens residing in EU member states; and if he will make a statement. [70426]
Angela Eagle:
We have received no representations. Housing Benefit is available to help people living in Great Britain meet the rent liability on the dwelling they occupy as their home, provided they satisfy the other conditions of entitlement for that benefit.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of people in families with someone in full-time work receiving amounts of housing benefit of less than (a) £10 per week, (b) £15 per week, and (c) £20 per week. [70627]
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Angela Eagle:
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
1 These data were collected prior to the introduction of the 30 hour credit in Family Credit.
Note:
Figure is based on a 5 per cent. sample of all Family Credit awards and as such is subject to a degree of sampling error.
Source:
Family Credit Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, August 1998.
| Housing Benefit (per week) | Number (22) |
|---|---|
| Less than £10 | 89,000 |
| Less than £15 | 165,000 |
| Less than £20 | 242,000 |
(22) Number rounded to the nearest thousand.
Notes:
1. It has been assumed that families means lone parents or couples with dependant children.
2. Information on the number of hours worked is not collected, so it is not possible to distinguish between full-time and part-time work.
Source:
Housing Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent. sample inquiry without Income Support, taken at the end of May 1997.
National Insurance
Ms Rosie Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the additional income to public funds if (a) class 2 contributions and (b) class 4 contributions were levied at the same rate as class 1 contributions. [70427]
Mr. Timms: If the self-employed contributed at the combined employee and employer Class 1 rate, the estimated additional contribution revenue would be £5.1 billion for the year 1999-2000.
Ms Rosie Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons made national insurance (a) class 2 contributions and (b) class 4 contributions in each of the last five fiscal years. [70429]
Mr. Timms: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Fiscal year | Class 2 contributors (23)(24) | Class 4 contributors (24)(25) |
|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| 1992-93 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| 1993-94 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| 1994-95 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| 1995-96 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| 1996-97 | -- | 1.9 |
(23) Figures for the number of people paying Class 2 contributions are taken from the Lifetime Labour Market database which contains a 1 per cent. sample of the National Insurance Recording System taken at February 1997. Information about the total number of Class 2 contributors is not yet available for 1996-97.
(24) The figures for Class 4 contributors are based on estimates derived from an analysis of income reported to the Inland Revenue. The information is based on samples of around 25,000 self-employed individuals for each year.
(25) Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand.
Ms Rosie Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of allowing national insurance class 4 contributors to be entitled to (a) Incapacity Benefit and (b) retirement pension. [70433]
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Mr. Timms:
Class 4 National Insurance contributions are payable in addition to Class 2 contributions on profits from self-employment above a certain level. The self- employed can already qualify for Incapacity Benefit and basic State Retirement Pension through payment of Class 2 contributions.
Ms Rosie Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the total receipts from (a) class 2 contributions and (b) class 4 contributions in each of the last five fiscal years expressed (i) in cash terms and (ii) at September 1998 prices. [70428]
| Cash terms | September 1998 prices | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Class 2 | Class 4 | Class 2 | Class 4 |
| 1993-94 | 652 | 749 | 757 | 870 |
| 1994-95 | 663 | 764 | 749 | 863 |
| 1995-96 | 681 | 803 | 746 | 879 |
| 1996-97 | 711 | 900 | 761 | 962 |
| 1997-98 | 720 | 977 | 745 | 1,011 |
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