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Pensioner Support
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the total expenditure on pensioner support in each year since 1996-97, with an estimate for
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2000-01 and 2001-02 on the basis of proposals in the pre-Budget report, with a breakdown in (a) cash and (b) annual percentage share terms for (i) universal contribution based, (ii) universal but not based on contribution eligibility, (iii) income-related contribution and (iv) income-related but not based on contribution eligibility benefits. [140536]
Mr. Rooker: The information is in the table.
| £ million | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| All benefits for the elderly | |||
| 1996-97 | 40,808 | 100.0 | |
| 1997-98 | 42,577 | 100.0 | |
| 1998-99 | 44,502 | 100.0 | |
| 1999-2000 | 47,774 | 100.0 | |
| 2000-01 | 50,428 | 100.0 | |
| 2001-02 | 54,171 | 100.0 | |
| Contributory benefits | |||
| 1996-97 | 32,106 | 78.7 | |
| 1997-98 | 33,664 | 79.1 | |
| 1998-99 | 35,684 | 80.2 | |
| 1999-2000 | 37,832 | 79.2 | |
| 2000-01 | 38,851 | 77.0 | |
| 2001-02 | 42,074 | 77.7 | |
| Non-contributory benefits | |||
| 1996-97 | 45 | 0.1 | |
| 1997-98 | 236 | 0.6 | |
| 1998-99 | 239 | 0.5 | |
| 1999-2000 | 946 | 2.0 | |
| 2000-01 | 2,091 | 4.2 | |
| 2001-02 | 1,679 | 3.1 | |
| Income-related contributory benefits | |||
| 1996-97 | None | -- | |
| 1997-98 | None | -- | |
| 1998-99 | None | -- | |
| 1999-2000 | None | -- | |
| 2000-01 | None | -- | |
| 2001-02 | None | -- | |
| Income related non-contributory benefits | |||
| 1996-97 | 8,657 | 21.2 | |
| 1997-98 | 8,678 | 20.4 | |
| 1998-99 | 8,579 | 19.3 | |
| 1999-2000 | 8,996 | 18.8 | |
| 2000-01 | 9,486 | 18.8 | |
| 2001-02 | 10,417 | 19.2 | |
Notes:
1. Totals may appear not to sum due to rounding.
2. Information is consistent with pre-Budget Report Cm4917 and with Table 3 of the Social Security Departmental Report 2000, Cm 4614.
3. The benefits included in each category above are:
Contributory benefits: Retirement Pension (basic and earnings related) and Christmas Bonus for elderly recipients of contributory benefits.
Non-Contributory Benefits: Non-contributory Retirement Pension, Winter Fuel Payments, Concessionary TV licences and Christmas Bonus for recipients of qualifying non-contributory benefits.
Income-related contributory benefits: None
Income-related non-contributory benefits: Income Support/ Minimum Income Guarantee, Social Fund, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
Pension Credit
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish in the Official Report a table
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corresponding to the table on page 30 of the consultation paper on the pension credit, showing the guaranteed (a) income top-up, (b) savings credit and (c) post-credit income for a person whose original income includes a basic pension at half the full rate. [140558]
Mr. Rooker: Under our proposals for the Pension Credit, single pensioners with incomes of between £77 and £135 a week will be rewarded. Income from a combination of different sources, including varying rates of the basic State Pension, will be aggregated when assessing entitlement to the Pension Credit.
Free Television Licence
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the (i) cost and (ii) number of beneficiaries of extending the free television licence scheme to all households without a resident aged 75 years or over but with a resident in receipt of (a) invalid care allowance, (b) the higher rate care component of disability living allowance, (c) the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance, (d) the higher rate care and/or the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance, (e) invalid care allowance and/or the higher rate care component of disability living allowance and (f) invalid care allowance and/or the higher rate care and/or higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance. [140290]
Mr. Rooker: The information is in the table.
| Cost (£ million) | Beneficiaries | |
|---|---|---|
| Invalid Care Allowance (ICA) | 30 | 350,000 |
| Higher Rate Care (HRC) component | 40 | 400,000 |
| Higher Rate Mobility (HRM) component | 130 | 1,250,000 |
| Higher Rate Care and/or Higher Rate Mobility | 140 | 1,400,000 |
| ICA and or Higher Rate Care | 70 | 650,000 |
| ICA and/or HRC and/or HRM | 160 | 1,600,000 |
Notes:
1. Based on Disability Living Allowance administrative data May 2000 and Family Resources Survey data.
2. Cost rounded to the nearest 10 million, gainers to the nearest 50,000.
Winter Fuel Payment
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the (i) cost and (ii) number of beneficiaries of extending the winter fuel payment scheme to all households without a resident aged 60 years or over but with a resident in receipt of (a) the higher rate care component of disability living allowance, (b) the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance, (c) the higher rate care and the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance, (d) the higher or medium rate of disability living allowance care component and (e) any form of disability living allowance. [140289]
Mr. Rooker: The information is as follows.
The estimates cost, and number of households to benefit if the winter fuel payment scheme was extended to all households without a resident aged 60 years or over but with a resident in receipt of the following benefits:
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| Cost (£ million) | Households benefiting | |
|---|---|---|
| Higher Rate Care component | 50 | 250,000 |
| Higher Rate Mobility component | 130 | 650,000 |
| Higher Rate Care and Mobility component | 30 | 150,000 |
| Higher Rate or Middle Rate Care component | 130 | 650,000 |
| Any Disability Living Allowance (DLA) | 240 | 1,200,000 |
Notes:
1. Based on DLA administrative data, May 2000 and Family Resources Survey data.
2. Cost rounded to the nearest ten million, gainers to the nearest fifty thousand.
3. Winter Fuel Payment is considered to be paid at £200 for gaining households.
Mr. Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in each parliamentary constituency are entitled to receive the winter fuel payment this year; and what the total amount paid out in each constituency will be. [139101]
Mr. Rooker: Information based on payments made so far this winter has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the (i) cost and (ii) number of beneficiaries of extending the Winter Fuel Payment scheme to all households without a resident aged 60 years or over but with a resident in receipt of Invalid Care Allowance and (a) the higher rate care component of Disability Living Allowance, (b) the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, (c) the higher rate care and/or the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, (d) the higher or medium rate of Disability Living Allowance care component and (e) any form of Disability Living Allowance. [140291]
Mr. Rooker: The information is as follows.
Estimated cost, and numbers of households to benefit if the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) scheme was extended to all households without a resident aged 60 or over, but with a resident in receipt of Invalid Care Allowance and a resident in receipt of one of the following benefits:
| Cost £ million | Households benefiting | |
|---|---|---|
| Higher Rate Care component | 20 | 100,000 |
| Higher Rate Mobility component | 20 | 100,000 |
| Higher Rate Care and/or Mobility component | 20 | 100,000 |
| Higher Rate Care or Middle Rate Care component | 30 | 150,000 |
| Any Disability Living Allowance (DLA) | 30 | 150,000 |
Notes:
1. Based on DLA administrative data May 2000 and Family Resources Survey data.
2. Cost rounded to the nearest 10 million, gainers to the nearest 50,000.
3. WFP is considered to be paid at £200 for gaining households.
Mobility Allowance
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will uprate Mobility Allowance to match recent increases in the cost of petrol. [140288]
Mr. Bayley: The mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, which replaced mobility allowance in 1992, is uprated annually by the rate of inflation as measured by the movement in the retail prices index. The
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basket of goods used to calculate the retail prices index includes the cost of petrol, as well as the cost of taxi fares and other motoring costs. More generally, Disability Living Allowance is intended to act as a contribution to the extra costs associated with disability; it is not intended to underwrite specific costs, and it is up to the individual to decide how to use the money.
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