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Child Maintenance

Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate (a) the total number of absent parents who are liable for child maintenance payments and (b) of this total the numbers who have an assessment made by the Child Support Agency, for the latest available date. [97143]

Angela Eagle: Information is not available on which to estimate the number of non-resident parents who may be liable for child maintenance as part of a private arrangement.

However, as at May 1999, 942,300 ¹ non-resident parents had an assessment made by the Child Support Agency.

Source:

CSA Quarterly Summary of Statistics.

Social Security Agreement (Australia)

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what notice Australia gave of its decision to terminate the social security agreement between Australia and the UK; and what the ramifications will be for British pensioners covered by the existing agreement. [97399]

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Mr. Rooker: The Australian Government announced in July that they intended to terminate the Social Security agreement with the UK. We have not received formal notice of termination. The agreement would terminate 12 months after the UK received formal notification.

The agreement helps UK pensioners who have lived in Australia for less than 10 years to meet the residence test for Australia's Age Pension. It can also help former residents of Australia now living in the UK to qualify for UK State Pension. People who had already become entitled to benefit through the agreement when it terminated would remain covered by its terms, so there would be no effect on them.

Pensions

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what inflation assumption and what financial provision was made in the Comprehensive Spending Review for 2000-01 for the uprating of the basic state pension. [97480]

Mr. Darling: Financial provision for the costs of uprating is set by reference to the most recent inflation assumption. Inflation assumptions for 2000-01 underpinning forecasts for expenditure for the Comprehensive Spending Review are set out at page 108 table B1 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 1998 (HC620). These forecasts were updated in November 1998 and for the Budget in March 1999. The inflation assumptions underlying the Department's latest expenditure forecasts are set out on page 89 of the Social Security Departmental Report (Cm 4214).

Disability Benefits

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide, for (i) invalidity benefit and (ii) incapacity benefit for each of the last 15 financial years, (a) the average number of recipients, (b) the average number of successful new claims, (c) the average total expenditure in current prices and (d) the average weekly amount received in current prices; and if he will provide separate estimates for those under state pension age. [96300]

Mr. Bayley [holding answer 29 October 1999]: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.

Table 1 gives figures for recipients and average payments for Invalidity Benefit and for short-term (higher) and long-term Incapacity Benefit (IB) which like Invalidity Benefit (IVB) apply from the twenty ninth week of incapacity. The table excludes short-term (lower) IB which is the equivalent of the old Sickness Benefit for the first twenty eight weeks.

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Table 1: Numbers of IVB/IB short-term higher and long-term rate recipients, and average weekly amounts in payment at April 1998 prices

	Recipients all ages	Average weekly amount (£)	Recipients under pension age	Average weekly amount (£)
31 March 1984	797,000	88.70	729,800	88.75
30 March 1985	848,948	88.95	764,648	89.20
5 April 1986	899,200	90.35	798,200	90.75
4 April 1987	967,900	88.75	841,600	89.05
2 April 1988	1,047,500	87.15	897,400	87.65
1 April 1989	1,126,000	85.90	951,600	86.65
31 March 1990	1,208,900	91.65	1,003,200	86.10
30 March 1991	1,306,000	92.15	1,068,100	84.35
4 April 1992	1,438,900	89.30	1,174,800	90.90
3 April 1993	1,580,000	90.70	1,298,500	92.45
2 April 1994	1,681,200	92.75	1,383,900	94.75
12 April 1995	1,766,900	93.20	1,467,600	95.10
29 February 1996	1,692,400	91.85	1,447,320	92.85
28 February 1997	1,632,060	88.45	1,444,860	88.80
28 February 1998	1,561,740	85.95	1,440,120	86.00

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However, it should be noted that the great majority of IB recipients are on the long term rate of benefit. Table 2 shows the average amount payable to these recipients as

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this is the most accurate reflection of benefit levels for long term sick and disabled people on IB, and the most appropriate comparison with Invalidity Benefit rates.

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Table 2: Numbers of IB long term recipients, and average weekly amounts in payment at April 1998 prices

	Recipients all ages	Average weekly amount (£)	Recipients under pension age	Average weekly amount (£)
29 February 1996	1,593,300	93.80	1,348,260	95.20
28 February 1997	1,526,780	90.40	1,339,620	91.00
28 February 1998	1,458,740	87.75	1,337,120	87.95

Notes:

1. From 1984 to 1995, figures are taken from a 1 per cent. sample of claimants. From 1996, figures are taken from a 5 per cent. sample of the benefit computer system and exclude a small number of cases held clerically.

2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 pence.

3. Since April 1995 IB has not been paid to people who are over State Pension age. However, people who transferred to IB from IVB were permitted to continue to receive it beyond State Pension age.

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Table 3 gives the required information for new claims. People do not make a fresh claim when moving from short-term (lower) to short-term (higher) IB.

Table 3: Commencements of IVB/IB short-term higher rateand long-term rate including progression from sickness benefit or IB short-term lower rate

	All ages	Under pension age
4 April 1998 to 31 March 1984	277,700	272,900
2 April 1994 to 30 March 1985	272,000	264,101
1 April 1985 to 5 April 1986	284,500	276,300
7 April 1986 to 4 April 1987	284,400	277,700
6 April 1987 to 2 April 1988	281,800	275,500
4 April 1998 to 1 April 1989	280,000	273,100
3 April 1989 to 31 March 1990	283,700	275,800
2 April 1990 to 30 March 1991	287,700	278,000
1 April 1991 to 4 April 1992	323,300	313,400
6 April 1992 to 3 April 1993	337,100	329,700
5 April 1993 to 2 April 1994	348,500	340,300
4 April 1994 to 12 April 1995	340,800	333,900
13 April 1995 to 31 March 1996	271,200	266,900
1 April 1996 to 31 March 1997	283,500	280,100
1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998	285,600	281,800

Note:

Figures are taken from a 1 per cent. sample of claimants.

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Table 4 gives estimate expenditure figures. It is not possible to provide figures for short-term (higher) and long-term rates of IB only. The figures are therefore for the whole of IB including short-term (lower) rate. For consistency, expenditure on Sickness Benefit (the equivalent of short-term (lower) rate IB) has been included for the years up to 1994-95.

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Table 4: Estimated expenditure on invalidity benefit/sickness benefit, and on incapacity benefit (all rates)£ billion 1998-99 prices

	Over pension age	Under pension age	Total
1983-84	0.3	3.8	4.1
1984-85	0.3	4.0	4.4
1985-86	0.4	4.1	4.5
1986-87	0.5	4.2	4.7
1987-88	0.6	4.4	5.0
1988-89	0.7	4.6	5.2
1989-90	0.8	4.8	5.6
1990-91	0.9	5.0	5.9
1991-92	1.1	5.8	6.9
1992-93	1.2	6.4	7.7
1993-94	1.3	7.1	8.4
1994-95	1.4	7.6	9.0
1995-96	1.2	7.4	8.6
1996-97	0.9	7.2	8.1
1997-98	0.7	6.9	7.6

Note:

Figures may not sum due to rounding.

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Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have claimed the higher rate of disability living allowance (a) this year and (b) in each of the last three years. [97267]

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Mr. Bayley: Disability Living Allowance has a care component with three rates and a mobility component with two. People may be awarded either component or both, depending on their care and mobility needs.

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Number of people receiving the highest rates of DLA at 31 May each year.

DLA recipients	1996	1997	1998	1999
Highest rate of care component (alone or with lower rate of mobility
component)	85,300	98,500	107,000	109,200
Higher rate of mobility Component (alone or with middle or lowest rate of
care component)	974,800	1,032,400	1,061,500	1,069,600
Highest rate of care component and higher rate of mobility component	235,900	260,900	274,900	282,700

Source:

Analytical Services Division; 5 per cent. data.

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