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Second Tier Pensions

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will calculate the second tier pension entitlement under (a) SERPS, (b) the first phase of the State Second Pension and (c) the second phase of the State Second Pension for those earning (i) £15,000, (ii) £17,000 and (iii) £19,000. [78867]

Mr. Timms: The information is in the table.

£
Second tier pension entitlement in 2051
State Second Pension
Phase 1Phase 2
Annual EarningsSERPSCarries on toContracted inContracted out (16)
15,00046615061
17,00051635063
19,00054655065

(16) Assumes that an individual contracts out of the State Second Pension and contributes only their rebate to an appropriate personal pension.

Notes:

1. The information is based on the thresholds set out in the Green Paper.

2. It is likely that the upper threshold of £18,500 contained in the Green Paper will be revised upwards following consultation to reflect the policy intention that higher earners should get broadly the same entitlement from phase 1 of State Second Pension as from SERPS.

3. The hypothetical individual in this example is assumed to; begin work at 16 years old in 2002, work for 49 years until retirement, earn the specified amounts in 1998 earnings terms throughout their working life.

4. Only National Insurance rebates are paid into the appropriate personal pension.

5. Real earnings growth is assumed to be 1.5 per cent.

6. Amounts are rounded to the nearest pound.


30 Mar 1999 : Column: 627

Non-pension Savings

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the level of non-pension saving among those in the £9,000-£18,500 earnings range who are not currently members of an occupational or personal pension scheme. [78866]

Mr. Timms: Data drawn from the 1997-98 Family Resources Survey (GB) suggest that, of those earning between £9,000 and £18,500 in 1997-98 and who, at that time, were not a member of an occupational or personal pension scheme, 40 per cent. had no non-pension saving.




Social Fund

Mr. Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Social Fund claimants have reached the limit of £1,000 for a loan. [78807]

Angela Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. However, in the financial year 1997-98, a total of 9,053 Social Fund loan applications were refused purely because the applicant had reached the loan limit of £1,000. This represents around 1 per cent. of all loan refusals.

Stakeholder Pensions

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the definition of earnings used to calculate the level of rebates for stakeholder pensions will include payments of working families tax credit. [78865]

Mr. Timms: No. It is expected that the earnings used for calculating rebates for stakeholder pension schemes will be the same as for other contracted-out pension schemes. Such earnings do not currently include any payment of Family Credit and will not include payments of Working Families Tax Credit when it is introduced.

Child Support Agency

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many meetings he has had with hon. Members to discuss the Child Support Agency; how many complaints he has received about the Agency since 1 February; and when he plans next to visit the Agency. [79047]

Angela Eagle: My noble Friend Baroness Hollis of Heigham, the Minister with day to day responsibility for child support, has had a number of meetings with hon. Members to discuss the child support Green Paper proposals. In February 1999 the Child Support Agency received 3,682 complaints from individuals and hon. Members. My Ministerial colleagues and I have received 130 letters from hon. Members over the same period, though not all of these relate to operational issues. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security is planning to visit the Child Support Agency again in the near future.

30 Mar 1999 : Column: 628

Family Incomes

Mr. Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the dates of (i) supplementary benefit and (ii) income support for (a) a couple with two children under 11 and (b) a lone parent with one child under 11 (1) in real terms and (2) as a proportion of average earnings at each uprating since 1979. [79054]

Angela Eagle: The information is in the table.

Rates of supplementary benefit for a couple both over 18 with 2 children under 11 in real terms and as a proportion of average earnings at each uprating since 1979

Uprating dateSupplementary benefit for a couple both over 18 with 2 children under 11 (£)Real value (£)Supplementary benefit as a percentage of earnings
November 197942.20113.8942.0
November 198049.20115.1440.9
November 198153.55111.9340.4
November 198259.20116.4541.6
November 198361.80115.9439.4
November 198464.75115.7638.8
November 198568.05115.3638.1
July 198668.80114.7136.4
April 198770.15112.0535.3

Note:

Ordinary scale rates used for married couple with two children aged 5-10. No account has been taken of any additional requirements


Rates of income support for a couple both over 18 with 2 children under 11 in real terms and as a proportion of average earnings at each uprating since 1979

Uprating dateIncome support for a couple both over 18 with 2 children under 11 (£)Real value (£)Income support as a percentage of earnings
April 198879.10121.5736.2
April 198984.80120.6335.4
April 199089.65116.5234.1
April 199196.90118.3834.0
October 199197.40117.2332.9
April 1992105.00123.0034.5
April 1993108.75125.7734.3
April 1994113.05127.4834.7
April 1995115.15125.6634.2
April 1996118.65126.4333.8
April 1997121.75126.6633.1
April 1998124.65124.6532.4

Rates of supplementary benefit for a lone parent with 1 child under 11 in real terms and as a proportion of average earnings at each uprating since 1979

Uprating dateSupplementary benefit for a lone parent with 1 child under 11 (£)Real value (£)Supplementary benefit as a percentage of earnings
November 197924.5566.2524.4
November 198028.6066.9323.8
November 198131.1565.1123.5
November 198234.4567.7724.2
November 198335.9567.4522.9
November 198437.6567.3122.5
November 198539.6067.1322.1
July 198640.0066.6921.2
April 198740.8065.1720.5

Note:

Ordinary scale rates for single person with 1 child aged 5-10. No account has been taken of any additional requirements


30 Mar 1999 : Column: 629

Rates of income support for a lone parent with 1 child under 11 in real terms and as a proportion of average earnings at each uprating since 1979

Uprating dateIncome support for a lone parent with 1 child under 11 (£)Real value (£)Income support as a percentage of earnings
April 198854.0082.9924.7
April 198957.0581.1623.8
April 199060.5078.6423.0
April 199165.4079.9023.0
October 199166.4079.9222.5
April 199271.0583.2323.3
April 199373.6085.1223.2
April 199476.5086.2623.5
April 199577.9085.0123.2
April 199680.1085.3522.8
April 199781.8085.1022.3
April 199883.4083.4021.7

Notes:

1. Benefit rates shown are applicable at uprating dates.

2. Real values calculated via use of Retail Price Index (all items) produced by the Office for National Statistics.

3. Average Earnings for all employees calculated via the New Earnings Survey and Average Earnings Index as produced by the Office for National Statistics.



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