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Free Television Licences (Wirral, South)
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many families in Wirral, South will benefit from the introduction of free television licences for households with a member aged 75 years or over. [110906]
Janet Anderson: This information is not available. 1991 Census information is out of date and no household survey has a sample size sufficient to make reliable estimates of qualifying households at a constituency or local authority level.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Industrial Injuries Scheme
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what plans he has to reform the industrial injuries scheme in respect of self-employed workers; and if he will make a statement. [111589]
- (2) what recent (a) consultations he has conducted and (b) representations he has received concerning reforms of the industrial injuries scheme with respect to self-employed workers; and if he will make a statement. [111590]
Mr. Bayley: We continue to see a case for reforming the industrial injuries scheme to reflect better the needs of today's labour market and to improve incentives for prevention of work-related accidents and diseases, and incentives for rehabilitation back into work. Initial discussions with key stakeholders last year have confirmed our belief that there is scope for reform. However, much work remains to be done to decide the best way forward. Against the background of the current major programme of reform to other parts of the Social Security system, the work cannot be completed quickly.
The basis of the current scheme is that Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit is payable to employed earners who suffer a loss of faculty through an industrial
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accident or disease, and that those who undertake self-employment do so knowing that provision against industrial injury is their own responsibility.
We have not conducted further consultation, nor received recent representations, about reform of the industrial injuries scheme with respect to self-employed workers.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a code of practice for use by the Child Support Agency of deduction from earnings orders for the enforcement of payment of child support arrears. [111778]
Angela Eagle:
Deduction from earnings orders are an effective way of ensuring payment of child support where a non-resident parent chooses to pay in this way, or where other methods have failed.
Guidance for Child Support Agency staff on the use of such orders is contained in volume 9 of the Child Support Guide, a copy of which is in the Library.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the (i) numbers and (ii) percentages of single parents on (a) Income Support, (b) Income Support and the remainder of a Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit award, (c) Income Support and Housing Benefit, (d) Working Families Tax Credit and Housing Benefit, (e) Housing Benefit and (f) other benefits. [112167]
| Number of claimants | Percentage of single parents (10) | |
|---|---|---|
| Benefit | ||
| Income Support | 1,042,000 | 65.1 |
| Income Support and Family Credit/ Working Families Tax Credit | 14,000 | 0.9 |
| Income Support and Housing Benefit | 826,000 | 51.6 |
| Working Families Tax Credit and Housing Benefit(11) | 151,000 | 9.4 |
| Housing Benefit | 1,016,000 | 63.5 |
| Other benefits | ||
| Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance | 14,000 | 0.9 |
| Widow's Benefit | 47,000 | 2.9 |
| Family Credit | 405,000 | 25.3 |
| Disability Working Allowance | 2,511 | 0.2 |
(9) Numbers are given at a point in time. For all benefits except Widow's Benefit and Housing Benefit information is given at August 1999. Housing Benefit and benefit combinations with Housing Benefit are given at May 1998 (latest figures available), and Widow's Benefit is given at March 1999.
(10) Percentage of lone parents is based on the caseload, as a proportion of official best estimates of the lone parent population for 1996 (provisional).
(11) Housing Benefit with Working Families Tax Credit information is not yet available as the Housing Benefit data predates the introduction of WFTC. Figures represent Housing Benefit with Family Credit.
Notes:
1. There will be a significant overlap between recipients of some benefits as a claimant may be in receipt of more than one Social Security Benefit.
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Income Support/Supplementary Benefit
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the average number of children in single parent families claiming income support/ supplementary benefit for each of the last 30 years. [112158]
Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.
| Year | Average number of children |
|---|---|
| 1969 | 1.95 |
| 1970 | 1.93 |
| 1971 | 1.97 |
| 1972 | 1.92 |
| 1973 | n/a |
| 1974 | 1.94 |
| 1975 | 1.90 |
| 1976 | 1.89 |
| 1977 | 1.85 |
| 1978 | 1.80 |
| 1979 | 1.76 |
| 1980 | 1.73 |
| 1981 | 1.68 |
| 1982 | 1.69 |
| 1983 | 1.66 |
| 1984 | 1.65 |
| 1985 | n/a |
| 1986 | 1.64 |
| 1987 | 1.65 |
| 1988 | 1.68 |
| 1989 | 1.65 |
| 1990 | 1.68 |
| 1991 | 1.68 |
| 1992 | 1.69 |
| 1993 | 1.70 |
| 1994 | 1.72 |
| 1995 | 1.73 |
| 1996 | 1.74 |
| 1997 | 1.76 |
| 1998 | 1.77 |
| 1999 May | 1.78 |
| 1999 November (latest) | 1.79 |
Notes:
1. Lone parents are classified as single claimants with dependants who are not receiving the disability or pensioner premium. Children are classified as aged 0-15 years.
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Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of single parents were drawing income support or supplementary benefit in each of the last 30 years. [112166]
Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.
| Year | Percentage of IS lone parents receiving benefit |
|---|---|
| 1971 | 37 |
| 1972 | n/a |
| 1973 | n/a |
| 1974 | n/a |
| 1975 | n/a |
| 1976 | 40 |
| 1977 | n/a |
| 1978 | 39 |
| 1979 | 36 |
| 1980 | 36 |
| 1981 | 41 |
| 1982 | 45 |
| 1983 | 48 |
| 1984 | 52 |
| 1985 | n/a |
| 1986 | 57 |
| 1987 | 60 |
| 1988 | 64 |
| 1989 | 65 |
| 1990 | 64 |
| 1991 | 67 |
| 1992 | 70 |
| 1993 | 70 |
| 1994 | 69 |
| 1995 | 68 |
| 1996 | 66 |
| 1997 | 63 |
| 1998 | 60 |
| 1999 | 58 |
| 1999(12) | 58 |
(12) November (latest)
Notes:
1. Numbers are given at a point in time. For 1971-74 and 1977-79 the month was November, for 1975-76 and 1980-84 the month was December, for 1986 the month was February, and for 1987 to the present time the month was May.
2. Lone parents are classified as single claimants with dependants who are not receiving the disability or pensioner premium.
3. Sample sizes: 1971-76 Supplementary Pension cases 1 in 160 and Supplementary Benefit cases 1 in 40 1977-87 Supplementary Pension cases 1 in 200 and Supplementary Benefit cases 1 in 50 1988-92 1 in 100 1993-99 1 in 20.
4. Supplementary Benefit was replaced by Income Support in 1988.
5. 'N/A' information not available.
6. Population estimates upon which percentages have been based--official best estimates of the numbers of one parent families published in population trends--for the years 1995 and 1996 are provisional. These official best estimates are not available for 1983,
1997 and subsequent years; the best estimate for 1982 has been used for the 1983 percentage and the provisional best estimate for 1996 used for subsequent years from 1996.
Source:
Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiries, 1971 to 1993.
Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiries, 1994 to 1999.
Official Best Estimates from Population Trends.
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