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Mrs. B. E. Jones
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the appeal by Mrs. B. E. Jones of Verwood, Dorset against refusal of Disability Living Allowance will be heard; and if he will make a statement. [153040]
Mr. Bayley: The administration of appeals is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Appeals Service, Mr. Neil Ward. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Neil Ward to Mr. Christopher Chope, dated 12 March 2001:
- The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question. You asked when the appeal of Mrs B. E. Jones of Verwood, Dorset against refusal of disability living allowance would be heard.
- I can tell you that Mrs Jones' appeal against refusal of disability living allowance has been listed for hearing at 10.00am, Tuesday 20th March 2001, at Bournemouth.
- The Appeals Service received the appeal for submission for Mrs Jones on 27 September 2000. On 19 October Mrs Jones sent the Benefits Agency (BA) some further evidence. The evidence was considered by a decision maker in the BA but the decision was not changed.
- On 5 March, Mrs Jones was informed that her appeal hearing was scheduled for hearing at 10.00am on 20 March at the Bournemouth venue.
- On 6 March, the representative phoned saying that Mrs Jones knew the doctor. Rather than postponing her case we have changed the doctor assigned to the session so that Mrs Jones' hearing could proceed.
- There was some delay in arranging the hearing for Mrs Jones and I would be grateful if you would pass on my apologies to Mrs Jones for this. We have been working hard in the Appeals Service to reduce the time it takes to bring appellants' cases to hearing. For the most part we have been successful and we are on track to meet the target set by the Secretary of State to arrange hearings within 14 weeks of the date the appeal is received in the Appeals Service.
- That said, the time taken to arrange an appeal is dependent on a number of factors. This includes the number of appeals waiting for a hearing, the number of members required to sit at the hearing,
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- whether further evidence is required that would assist the tribunal in reaching its decision, the availability of the venue and the suitability of the type of hearing.
- I hope this information is helpful.
Statistics (Newcastle)
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Jobseeker's Allowance claimants there are in (i) Newcastle and (ii) Newcastle upon Tyne, Central; how many there were in May 1997; and how many such claimants were continuous claimants of more than two years. [153034]
Angela Eagle: The information is in the table.
| Newcastle upon Tyne | ||
|---|---|---|
| Central PC | LA district | |
| May 1997 | ||
| All cases | 3.6 | 12.3 |
| Duration two years or more | 0.9 | 3.4 |
| August 2000 | ||
| All cases | 3.0 | 8.5 |
| Duration two years or more | 0.7 | 2.2 |
Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
2. Based on 5 per cent. sample therefore subject to sampling error.
3. Figures include cases receiving Income-based or Contribution-based JSA and those receiving no benefit and signing for National Insurance Credits only.
4. As JSA was only introduced in October 1996 the duration figures for May 1997 include those on Unemployment Benefit or Income Support for the unemployed prior to October 1996.
Source:
Jobseeker's Allowance Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, May 1997 and August 2000
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners receiving the State Pension there are in (a) Newcastle and (b) Newcastle upon Tyne, Central; how many there were in May 1997; and how many of these were aged over 75 years. [153035]
Mr. Rooker: We will increase basic State Pension from April 2001 by £5 for a single person and £8 per couple. This is at an overall cost of £1.3 billion and will benefit over 10 million British pensioners. Among them 14,700 reside in the constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne, Central.
Notes:
1. The figures quoted are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Cases are allocated to each parliamentary constituency by matching the postcode against the 2000 version 1 of the Postcode Directory supplied by ONS.
3. Great Britain data exclude overseas and Channel Islands pensioners.
Source:
Based on a 5 per cent. sample taken from the Pension Strategy Computer system at 31 March 2000
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Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lone parents on Income Support there are in (a) Newcastle and (b) Newcastle upon Tyne, Central; and how many there were in May 1997. [153055]
Mr. Bayley: The information is in the table.
| Area | May 1997 | November 2000 |
|---|---|---|
| Newcastle upon Tyne City Council | 6.8 | 5.9 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne, Central constituency | 1.6 | 1.5 |
Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
2. Based on 5 per cent. sample therefore subject to sampling error.
3. Lone Parents are single parents aged under 60 and not receiving the disability premium.
4. Cases are allocated to each parliamentary constituency/local authority by matching the postcode against the relevant (i.e. 1997 and 2000 versions 1 or 2) of the ONS Postcode Directory. Parliamentary constituency boundaries are represented as at May 1997.
Source:
Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiries, May 1997 and November 2000.
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in (a) Newcastle and (b) Newcastle upon Tyne, Central were receiving Income Support in 1996-97; what their average benefit and average income was; how many pensioners were receiving the minimum income guarantee in 2000-01; and what their average benefit and average income was. [153037]
Mr. Rooker: The information is in the tables.
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Compared with when this Government came to office in 1997, the average incomes of pensioners in these constituencies have risen by around £16 weekly. Around a half of this increase can be attributed directly to help through the Minimum Income Guarantee. From this April, with the alignment of weekly Minimum Income Guarantee rates at the highest rate, no pensioner need live on less than £92.15 a week.
| Number of claimants | Average weekly amount of income (£) | Average weekly amount of Income Support (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle upon Tyne local authority | 11,900 | 77.35 | 33.44 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne, Central parliamentary constituency | 3,800 | 74.56 | 34.34 |
| Number of claimants | Average weekly amount of income (£) | Average weekly amount of Income Support (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle upon Tyne local authority | 11,800 | 93.10 | 40.29 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne, Central parliamentary constituency | 3,500 | 88.90 | 41.89 |
Notes:
1. The average weekly amounts of income quoted in the tables exclude help provided through Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
2. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and are expressed in thousands.
4. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities have been allocated by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory for each quarter, and represent constituency boundaries as at May 1997.
5. Pensioners are defined as benefit units where the claimant and/or partner are aged 60 and over.
6. Income is defined as all income and benefits (excluding IS), including income from partners and dependants, taken into account and disregarded for Income Support purposes.
Source:
Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, November 1997 and 2000
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of children in (a) Newcastle and (b) Newcastle upon Tyne, Central who were receiving Child Benefit in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2001; what the rates of benefit were; and what the average annual income from Child Benefit was in (a) 1997 and (b) 2001 for those areas. [153033]
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Angela Eagle: The latest available information as requested is in the table.
| Number of children | Average weekly amount per family (£) | |
|---|---|---|
| August 1999 | ||
| Newcastle | 52,594 | 21.46 |
| Newcastle, Central | 16,524 | 21.84 |
| Newcastle, East and Wallsend | 17,955 | 21.40 |
| Newcastle, North | 18,115 | 21.19 |
| November 2000 | ||
| Newcastle | 52,602 | 22.93 |
| Newcastle, Central | 16,659 | 23.49 |
| Newcastle, East and Wallsend | 17,943 | 22.70 |
| Newcastle, North | 18,000 | 22.68 |
Notes:
1. Figures are from a 100 per cent. extract of the Child Benefit Centre Computer System.
2. Information from before 1999 is not available on this basis.
3. The average annual income from Child Benefit is not available.
4. Average weekly amounts are based on Child Benefit, Guardians Allowance and Child Benefit (Lone Parent). We are not able to split them into the individual components.
5. Cases are allocated to each parliamentary constituency by matching the postcode against the relevant (ie 1999 or 2000 versions 1 or 2) of the ONS Postcode Directory. Constituency boundaries are represented as at May 1997.
The rates of Child Benefit are as follows:
- April 1999--£14.40 eldest child and £9.60 subsequent children
- April 2000--£15.00 eldest child and £10.00 subsequent children.
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