House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 13 Mar 2001 (pt 20)

Departmental Policies (South Shields)

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the South Shields constituency, the effects on South Shields of his Department's polices and actions since 2 May 1997. [153087]

Mr. Rooker: The Department's policies and initiatives have made a significant contribution to the Government's overall objectives of: eradicating child poverty in 20 years, and halving it within 10; promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age while protecting the position of those in greatest need; and combating poverty and promoting security and independence in retirement for today's and tomorrow's pensioners.

These goals are being pursued nationwide and our achievements are set out in our annual "Opportunity for all" reports. Our second report, "Opportunity for all--One year on: making a difference" (CM4865, September 2000), sets out what progress has been made in the past year, as well as highlighting what more needs to be done. Nationwide statistical information is necessarily more complete than constituency level data, but the following provides a comparative guide to the effect of the Department's policies and actions in South Shields since May 1997.

Measures in our five Budgets so far will lift over 1.2 million children out of poverty. These include record increases to Child Benefit, the introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit, increases in income-related benefits, the minimum wage and tax changes.

Child Benefit will be worth £15.50 a week for the eldest child and £10.35 a week for other children from April 2001: nationally about seven million families receive child benefit, and in South Shields 10,358 families benefit.

We now have the lowest unemployment rate in 25 years. The New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, the over-50s and partners of the unemployed to move from benefit into work. In the period since May 1997 the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance nationally has reduced from 1,562,400 to 1,044,900; in South Shields the number has reduced from 4,700, to 3,600. Since May 1997 the number of lone parents who claim Income Support has decreased from 1,013,500 to 894,100 nationally; in South Shields the number has increased from 2,000 to 2,100.

Older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty. So we have introduced Winter Fuel Payments to help with their heaviest fuel bill. This winter, the payment

13 Mar 2001 : Column: 576W

is £200 for households who qualify. Over 17,000 older people in South Shields have received a Winter Fuel Payment for this winter.

To demonstrate our commitment to combating pensioner poverty, this year we will spend £4.5 billion extra in real terms on pensioners. Some 16,400 pensioners in South Shields will benefit from the substantial increases in the basic State pension this April and next; this year's increase is £5 a week for single pensioners and £8 for couples. In addition we have introduced free TV licences for the over-75s of whom we estimate there are about 6,300 in South Shields. 3,700 pensioner families in South Shields are receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee, which we introduced in April 1999 to help our poorest pensioners. From April they will be at least £15 a week, or £800 a year, better off in real terms as a result of Government measures since 1997.

Other reforms in the pipeline include: the new Pension Credit in 2003 designed to ensure that pensioners benefit from their savings; the launch of Stakeholder Pensions in April this year; and the introduction of the State Second Pension in April 2002 both of which will help provide greater security for tomorrow's pensioners.

Attendance Allowance

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people receive (a) higher and (b) lower rate Attendance Allowance. [152903]

Mr. Bayley: The latest available information, which relates to 31 August 2000, is that about 577,300 people were receiving the higher rate of Attendance Allowance, and about 693,200 were receiving the lower rate.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of Disability Living Allowance higher mobility component qualify because they are both blind and deaf. [152902]

Mr. Bayley: The latest information, which relates to 31 August 2000, is that 382 people with both at least 80 per cent. disablement from loss of hearing and 100 per cent. disablement from loss of sight were receiving the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance.

Discrete figures for deaf-blind recipients with lower levels of disability are not available. However, their entitlement is dependent not on their impairments themselves but on their resulting care and mobility needs, so full account is taken of combined disabilities. In total, almost 79,000 people with either blindness or deafness as their principal disabling condition were receiving Disability Living Allowance on the above date, including over 7,000 on the higher rate mobility component.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Disability Living Allowance awards there are to (a) disabled people in general and (b) deaf people in particular; and how many of these were granted at (i) initial application and (ii) review or appeal, in (1) England, (2) Wales, (3) Scotland and (4) Northern Ireland. [152901]

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Mr. Bayley: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

Current awards of Disability Living Allowance broken down by country

Disability England Wales Scotland

All disabilities 1,742,600 177,200 240,500

Deafness⁽²⁶⁾ 20,700 1,400 2,100

Disability	England	Wales	Scotland
All disabilities	1,742,600	177,200	240,500
Deafness⁽²⁶⁾	20,700	1,400	2,100

⁽²⁶⁾ Main disabling condition

Notes:

1. Information on how many current awards of Disability Living Allowance were originally made on initial claim and how many review or appeal is not available

2. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible for social security in Northern Ireland

Source:

DSS Information Centre: 5 per cent. data

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown of current Disability Living Allowance awards for which deafness is the main disabling condition by (a) the rate of each component and (b) age. [152900]

Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.

Current Disability Living Allowance awards for which deafness is the main disabling condition, broken down by age and rate of each component

Age

Type of award All ages 0-15 16-39 40-59 60 and over

All rates of care 21,900 8,700 7,100 4,700 1,500

Higher rate care 900 600 ⁽²⁷⁾200 ⁽²⁷⁾100 ⁽²⁷⁾100

Middle rate care 15,100 7,600 4,500 2,400 700

Lower rate care 5,900 500 2,500 2,200 700

All rates of mobility 12,900 5,200 3,900 2,400 1,300

Higher rate mobility 1,500 ⁽²⁷⁾200 ⁽²⁷⁾300 ⁽²⁷⁾300 600

Lower rate mobility 11,400 5,100 3,600 2,000 700

		Age
Type of award	All ages	0-15	16-39	40-59	60 and over
All rates of care	21,900	8,700	7,100	4,700	1,500
Higher rate care	900	600	⁽²⁷⁾200	⁽²⁷⁾100	⁽²⁷⁾100
Middle rate care	15,100	7,600	4,500	2,400	700
Lower rate care	5,900	500	2,500	2,200	700
All rates of mobility	12,900	5,200	3,900	2,400	1,300
Higher rate mobility	1,500	⁽²⁷⁾200	⁽²⁷⁾300	⁽²⁷⁾300	600
Lower rate mobility	11,400	5,100	3,600	2,000	700

⁽²⁷⁾ Number too small to be statistically reliable

Notes:

1. Figures relate to 31 August 2000

2. Figures do not sum due to rounding

Source:

DSS Information Centre: 5 per cent. data

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a breakdown of Disability Living Allowance awards for which deafness is the main disabling condition by (a) age and (b) type of award, including (i) care only component, (ii) mobility only component and (iii) combined care and mobility components. [152899]

Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.

Current Disability Living Allowance awards where deafness is the main disabling condition, broken down by age and type of award

Age

Type of award All ages 0-15 16-39 40-59 60 and over

All awards 24,100 9,000 7,900 5,200 2,000

Care only 11,300 3,800 4,000 2,800 700

Mobility only 2,200 400⁽²⁸⁾ 900 500 500

Care and mobility 10,600 4,900 3,100 1,900 800

	Age
Type of award	All ages	0-15	16-39	40-59	60 and over
All awards	24,100	9,000	7,900	5,200	2,000
Care only	11,300	3,800	4,000	2,800	700
Mobility only	2,200	400⁽²⁸⁾	900	500	500
Care and mobility	10,600	4,900	3,100	1,900	800

⁽²⁸⁾ Number too small to be statistically reliable

Notes:

1. Figures relate to 31 August 2000

2. Figures do not sum due to rounding

Source:

DSS Information Centre: 5 per cent. data.

13 Mar 2001 : Column: 578W

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Disability Living Allowance recipients there are and how many there were in each of the last seven years, whose main disabling condition is deafness. [152898]

Mr. Bayley: The latest available information, which relates to 31 August 2000, is that about 2,160,300 people were receiving Disability Living Allowance. Figures for recipients whose main disabling condition is deafness are in the table.

Disability Living Allowance recipients w hose main disabling condition is deafness

Year Recipients

1994 10,100

1995 11,800

1996 13,900

1997 16,700

1998 20,400

1999 22,900

2000 24,100

Year	Recipients
1994	10,100
1995	11,800
1996	13,900
1997	16,700
1998	20,400
1999	22,900
2000	24,100

Note:

Figures relate to 31 August each year.

Source:

DSS Information Centre, 5 per cent. data.

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