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Banking Services
Mr. Wray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of people in receipt of Income Related Benefit do not have use of banking services (a) in the UK and (b) in Scotland. [116369]
Mr. Rooker: I have been asked to reply.
Over 80 per cent. of all benefit recipients have bank accounts. Estimates from the 1997-98 Family Resources Survey are that 28 per cent. of individuals in Great Britain who are in receipt of Income Related Benefits do not have access to banking services and 38 per cent. of individuals in Scotland in receipt of Income Related Benefits do not have access to banking services.
3 Apr 2000 : Column: 332W
4. Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress he has made in dealing with fraudulent claims for housing benefit. [115866]
Mr. Darling:
I wrote to all council chief executives on 6 March warning them to act immediately to remedy weaknesses identified by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate.
I am today announcing a further 30 inspections of a range of councils including a number which are not operating all of the Departments anti-fraud initiatives.
If the BFI report to me a local authority's persistent failings I will direct them to achieve the standards I set within a rigorous timescale.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by what percentage the budget for housing benefit has increased in real terms (a) in each year since the introduction of housing benefit and (b) in total since the introduction of housing benefit. [117279]
Notes:
1. The source of the data used to answer the question is the Family Resources Survey (Great Britain only). The latest year for which data are available is 1997-98.
2. The estimates are based on sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that control for region, Council Tax band and a number of demographic variables. Estimates are subject to sampling error and to variability in non-response.
3. The figures given have been rounded to the nearest whole per cent.
4. For the purposes of answering this question, income related benefits (IRBs) are taken to be Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based), Family Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Disability Working Allowance and Social Fund Grants.
5. Where two people are living together as husband and wife and they are in receipt of one or more IRBs between them, it should be noted that one of the couple claims the benefit(s) on behalf of both individuals. However, both individuals are regarded here as being in receipt of the benefit(s). Therefore, for such couples, the access of both recipients to banking facilities has been considered, as opposed to solely those of the claimant.
6. For the purposes of this analysis, an individual's access to Banking facilities has been defined as whether or not they have in their name (on a sole or joint basis) any one of a Current Account, a Post Office Ordinary/Investment account or any other type of savings/bank account held with either a bank or a Building Society.
| Financial year | Percentage increase on previous financial years in real terms |
|---|---|
| 1989-90 | 6.3 |
| 1990-91 | 11.0 |
| 1991-92 | 18.8 |
| 1992-93 | 17.4 |
| 1993-94 | 13.9 |
| 1994-95 | 8.1 |
| 1995-96 | 4.6 |
| 1996-97 | 1.4 |
| 1997-98 | -4.4 |
| 1998-99 | -4.1 |
| 1999-2000 (estimated) | -0.9 |
| Whole period | 95.4 |
Notes:
1. Figures represent changes in the total amount of Rent Rebates and Rent Allowances paid to recipients, regardless of the source of funding.
2. Figures for 1999-2000 are based on estimates that underlie the March 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report.
3. Expenditure figures have been converted to constant prices (real terms) using the Gross Domestic Product deflator underlying the March 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report.
State Second Pension
6. Mrs. Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people he estimates will benefit from the proposed state second pension. [115868]
Mr. Rooker:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member of Halesowen and Rowley Regis (Mrs. Heal) earlier today at column 616.
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21. Ms Rosie Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he is taking to improve the take-up of the minimum income guarantee among pensioners. [115885]
Mr. Rooker:
Our unprecedented take-up campaign will commence in the spring.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners have incomes which are below the level of the minimum income guarantee. [115864]
Mr. Rooker:
We currently estimate that just over half a million people are missing out on their Minimum Income Guarantee. We have announced details of a take-up campaign which will identify pensioners who may be entitled, and encourage them to claim. Details are in the Vote Office.
22. Mr. Flight:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the McDonald report on pension provisions. [115886]
Mr. Rooker:
We welcome the publication of the Retirement Income Working Party's Report as a contribution to an important debate. We are assessing the implications of the Report's proposals for pension scheme members, for the Exchequer and for private pension provision generally. Our willingness to be flexible for the benefit of pensioners is demonstrated by our recent decision to allow more pensioners to buy an investment- linked annuity as an alternative to a limited price indexed annuity.
23. Mr. Hope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress the Government are making in tackling child poverty. [115887]
Mr. Bayley:
We have pledged to eradicate child poverty over the next 20 years and to halve it within 10 years. We are making good progress. Our £7 billion tax and benefit package will lift 1.2 million children out of poverty. And by helping parents back into work we are tackling the biggest cause of child poverty.
35. Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact to date of Government measures to reduce child poverty in the north-west of England. [115900]
Mr. Bayley:
We are committed to halving child poverty over the next 10 years and to eradicating it within 20 years. And this strategy covers all regions of the UK.
Child poverty is a problem which has built up over generations and it will take time to eradicate. But we are already making substantial progress. Our £7 billion tax and benefit package will lift 1.2 million children out of poverty. As a result, the poorest two-child families will be £1,500 a year better off in 2001 than they were in 1997.
3 Apr 2000 : Column: 334W
Poverty is multi-dimensional. It is characterised not just by low income, but also by factors such as poor educational attainment, poor housing and deprived communities. It is about the lack of opportunity and aspiration. That is why we are investing heavily in measures to provide children with a better start in life and to increase the opportunities to allow them to break out of the cycle of deprivation.
We are prepared to be judged on our results. We set out our indicators for tackling poverty in "Opportunity for all" (Cmd. 4445) and we will report progress against these in the autumn.
24. Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to help disabled people stay in work. [115888]
Mr. Bayley:
We have a range of measures to help disabled people stay in work. These include the Disabled Person's Tax Credit to help make work pay; improvements in the support provided by the Independent Living Funds to allow severely disabled people to keep a higher proportion of their work income; and the New Deal for Disabled People pilots to help people to move into or stay in employment.
The Budget announced new plans to develop pilots to test the effectiveness of helping people when they become ill in work.
25. Mr. Goggins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he is taking to reduce the number of people who face high marginal tax and benefit withdrawal rates. [115889]
Mr. Rooker:
As a result of the tax and benefit changes announced in the last three Budgets around half a million fewer working households will face the very high marginal rates of 70 per cent. or more.
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