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Pensioners (Benefit Take-up)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to ensure that pensioners receive the benefits to which they are entitled. [88055]
Mr. Timms: We undertook pilot projects and research last year to understand more about why many pensioners do not claim the Income Support they are entitled to, and what could be done to improve this situation. We are currently exploring options for further activity to encourage more pensioners to claim, and we will be bringing forward our plans in due course.
Departmental Spending
Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown of total spending on each benefit provided by his Department and on central, regional and agency administration costs in each of the last three years. [89075]
Mr. Timms: A breakdown of total spending on each benefit provided by Department of Social Security grouped by the Departmental objectives is published in Tables 9 and 10 (pages 117 to 1720) of the Social Security Departmental Report (The Government's Expenditure Plans--1999/2000).
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 (4) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central (HQ) | 77 | 87 | (5)-112 |
| Benefits Agency | 1,862 | 1,743 | 1,800 |
| Child Support Agency | 212 | 211 | 208 |
| Contributions Agency | 15 | (6)-4 | 3 |
| War Pensions Agency | 36 | 33 | 28 |
| Information Technology Services Agency (purchaser function) | 16 | 16 | 15 |
(4) Estimated outturn
(5) Net of PRIME receipts of £250 million
(6) All of Contributions Agency costs are recoverable, in the main from the National Insurance Fund, however this may not occur in the year of expenditure. Contributions Agency was transferred to Inland Revenue on 1 April 1999.
Note:
The Department does not allocate its running cost funding on a regional basis
Tax-benefit Model Tables
Mr. Goggins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish tax-benefit model tables (1) under the system operating when the Working Families
5 Jul 1999 : Column: 358
Tax Credit is introduced for a married couple with two children aged under 11, with average council tax and a mortgage of (i) £35,000, (ii) £45,000 and (iii) £55,000, where there is (a) no earner, (b) one earner on £3 per hour and (c) one earner on £3.60 per hour and where, if there is an earner, he works for (A) five hours, (B) 10 hours, (C) 15 hours, (D) 20 hours, (E) 25 hours, (F) 30 hours, (G) 35 hours, (H) 40 hours, (I) 45 hours and (J) 50 hours; [89308]
(3) under the present system for a married couple with two children aged under 11, with average council tax and a mortgage of (i) £35,000, (ii) £45,000 and (iii) £55,000, where there is (a) no earner, (b) one earner on £3 per hour and (c) one earner on £3.60 per hour and where, if there is an earner, he works for (1) five hours, (2) 10 hours, (3) 15 hours, (4) 20 hours, (5) 25 hours, (6) 30 hours, (7) 35 hours, (8) 40 hours, (9) 45 hours and (10) 50 hours; [89307]
(4) under the system operating when the Working Families Tax Credit is introduced for a lone mother with two children aged under 11, who is an owner-occupier with a mortgage of (a) £35,000, (b) £45,000 and (c) £55,000, paying average council tax, where her earnings are (i) nil, (ii) £3 per hour and (iii) £3.60 per hour, and where, if she is an earner, she works for (A) five hours, (B) 10 hours, (C) 15 hours, (D) 20 hours, (E) 25 hours, (F) 30 hours, (G) 35 hours, (H) 40 hours, (I) 45 hours and (J) 50 hours and where, if she is an earner, she has childcare costs of (1) £20, (2) £30, (3) £40, (4) £50 and (5) £60. [89311]
Angela Eagle:
The information is not available as the Department's Tax-Benefit Model Tables are not produced in respect of owner-occupiers who have mortgages.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will request the Audit Commission to keep records with respect to each data matching programme undertaken or investigated which contains (a) the total number of individuals whose personal data were matched, (b) the number of matches which resulted in no further action, (c) the number of matches which required further investigation by staff, (d) the number of matches which following such investigation resulted in no further action, (e) the number of withdrawn claims or prosecutions identified by data matching, (f) the cost of the data matching programme including all direct and indirect staff costs and (h) the amounts saved by the data matching programme. [89592]
Mr. Timms:
The Audit Commission's National Fraud Initiative which was carried out in 1996, 1997 and 1998 will help to provide this type of information. The Audit Commission are due to publish a report on the outcome of this work in late 1999.
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Mr. Willetts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the matters within his Department's responsibility in respect of which it has had to pay out compensation to members of the public since May 1997. [89708]
Mr. Timms:
Compensation has been paid to members of the public on a number of areas since 1997. A great many of these payments stem from problems that arose before May 1997, including the NIRS2 computer system.
Mr. Willetts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much compensation has been paid to people who have been underpaid benefits as a result of the NIRS2 computer breakdown. [89709]
Mr. Timms:
The amount of compensation, under the normal Departmental Special Payment rules, which has been paid to people who have been underpaid benefits as a result of the NIRS2 computer problems is £12,891.13. These figures are up to the end of May 1999. Further compensation has been made to customers who suffered inconvenience as a result of NIRS2 delays. However, not all of these people have been underpaid benefit.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the title and purpose of each item of market and opinion research commissioned by or through his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies since May 1997 stating in each case whether or not the results were published. [89689]
Mr. Timms:
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security of those households below half average income whose main source of income is welfare benefits, what proportion have income from earnings; and what is the (a) mean and (b) median amount of those earnings. [89529]
Angela Eagle:
Eight per cent. of households with below half average income whose main source of income is benefits have income from earnings. This proportion is the same both Before Housing Costs (BHC) and After Housing Costs (AHC).
Both BHC and AHC, the mean of those earnings (for those households below half average income whose main source of income is benefits) is £55 per week and the median £52 per week (BHC) and £51 per week (AHC).
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Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of households below half average income have any earnings; and what the (a) median and (b) mean amount of their earnings is. [89530]
Angela Eagle:
Twenty six per cent. of households with below half average income have income from earnings. This proportion is the same both Before Housing Costs (BHC) and After Housing Costs (AHC). The median of those earnings is £125 per week BHC (for those below half average income) and £138 per week (AHC). The mean of those earnings is £145 per week (BHC) and £160 per week (AHC).
(2) if he will publish tax-benefit model tables under the existing system for a lone mother with two children aged under 11, who is an owner-occupier with a mortgage of (a) £35,000, (b) £45,000 and (c) £55,000, paying average council tax, where her earnings as (a) nil, (b) £3 per hour and (c) £3.60 per hour, where, if she is an earner, she works for (i) five hours, (ii) 10 hours, (iii) 15 hours, (iv) 20 hours, (v) 25 hours, (vi) 30 hours, (vii) 35 hours, (viii) 40 hours, (ix) 45 hours and (x) 50 hours and where, if she is an earner, she has childcare costs of (A) £20, (B) £30, (C) £40, (D) £50 and (E) £60. [89310]
Notes:
1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which is based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland. 1996-97 is the latest year for which information is available.
2. For the purposes of this analysis, benefits are deemed to be the 'main source of income' where they form more than 50 per cent. of a household's total gross income.
3. The income measure used to determine whether or not a household is below half of the national average is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income (that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household). It is
standard HBAI practice to give results for income both before and after housing costs, in order to allow for the effect of variations in housing costs between households.
4. Monetary values are given in April 1998 prices and refer to gross weekly household earnings.
Notes:
1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which is based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland. 1996-97 is the latest year for which information is available.
2. The income measure used to determine whether or not a household is below half of the national average is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income (that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household). It is standard HBAI practice to give results for income both before and after housing costs, in order to allow for the effect of variations in housing costs between households.
3. Monetary values are given in April 1998 prices and refer to gross weekly household earnings.
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