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WORK AND PENSIONS
Minimum Income Guarantee
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many additional claims for the Minimum Income Guarantee (a) have been received, (b) have been processed and (c) were successful as a result of the national take-up campaign; and what his latest estimate is of the number of pensioners entitled to Income Support and not receiving it. [2390]
Mr. McCartney: Up to the end of May 2001, 227,333 additional claims for Minimum Income Guarantee have been received and processed since the beginning of the MIG take-up campaign in May 2000. Of those claims 110,744 have been successful.
The latest estimates of pensioners entitled to Income Support and not receiving it are set out in the publication "Income Related Benefits—Estimates of Take Up in 1998–99". A copy is available in the Library.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the timetable is for publishing the results of the quantative tracking research on pensioners' awareness of the Minimum Income Guarantee; and on what date the report on the use of the MIG claimline will be published. [2273]
Mr. McCartney: Copies of the Management Summaries of the research to track pensioners' awareness of the Minimum Income Guarantee have been placed in the Library.
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We expect to publish the report on the evaluation of the Minimum Income Guarantee claim line later this year.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners have become newly entitled to the Minimum Income Guarantee in each year since 1997 as a result of (a) benefit increases, (b) reduced capital and (c) reduced income. [2256]
Mr. McCartney: The information is not available.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons people who have responded to the Minimum Income Guarantee take-up campaign have had their claims refused, indicating the number affected by each reason. [2253]
Mr. McCartney: The information is in the table.
| Reason | Percentage | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Income | 54 | 62,958 |
| Capital | 41 | 47,801 |
| Other | 5 | 5,830 |
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) single and (b) married pensioners who have made a successful claim to the Minimum Income Guarantee as a result of the take-up campaign have received an additional weekly income of (i) less than £5, (ii) between £5 and £10, (iii) between £10 and £20, (iv) between £20 and £30, (v) between £30 and £40, (vi) between £40 and £50 and (vii) over £50. [2252]
Mr. McCartney: The information is not available.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) letters have been sent out, (b) telephone calls have been made to the MIG claim line, (c) postal packs have been sent out, (d) additional claims have been made and (e) additional successful claims there have been as a result of the MIG take-up campaign to the end of May. [2255]
Mr. McCartney: As at the end of May 2001, 227,333 additional claims have been made since the beginning of the MIG take-up campaign. Of these, 110,744 have been successful.
Between 30 May 2000 and mid-November 2000, 2.4 million Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) mailshot letters were issued and a further 102,000 were issued between 5 March 2001 and 9 March 2001.
As at the end of June 2001, the MIG claim line answered 579,260 telephone calls and 571,900 postal packs were sent out.
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of elderly people entitled to the Minimum Income Guarantee but not claiming it; and if he will make a statement. [2132]
Mr. McCartney: The latest estimates of the numbers of elderly people entitled to Income Support (Minimum Income Guarantee since April 1999) but not claiming it
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are set out in the publication "Income Related Benefits—Estimates of Take Up in 1998–99", a copy of which is in the Library.
Statistics and Reports
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the publication dates of statistics and reports due to be released by his Department and the agencies under his Department in the next 12 months. [374]
Mr. McCartney: Information on the release dates of statistics published by the Department under the National Statistics banner is notified in the National Statistics Update issued by the Office for National Statistics. Release dates four months ahead are given and the information is rolled forward one month at the end of each month.
International Labour Organisation
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the effect on his Department's policies of the creation of a new world commission on the social dimension of globalisation by the International Labour Organisation. [1766]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Director General of the ILO has proposed a world commission to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the social dimensions of globalisation. This proposal, which has the broad support of the EU, will be discussed in more detail at the Governing Body of the ILO in November. Any implications for the UK should then be clear.
Child Support
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if a non-resident parent's responsibility to support a child will end if that child is adopted under the child support system to be introduced in April 2002. [2145]
Malcolm Wicks: A maintenance assessment can be cancelled when the non-resident parent ceases to be a parent of the child to whom the assessment applies. The provisions for the new scheme have the same effect. When a child is adopted, the non-resident parent will normally no longer be treated as a parent of that child.
Retirement Pension (Payday Regulations)
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate has been made of the savings to public funds from the retirement pension payday regulations contained in section 5 of the Social Security Act 1982; [2310]
- (2) if he will review the retirement pension payday regulations contained in section 5 of the Social Security Act 1982. [2311]
Mr. McCartney: The current regulations provide for the payment of retirement pension in whole weeks.
If payment were made for part-weeks, and the recovery of overpaid benefit at the end of the claim was abandoned, we estimate the costs would be up to £20 million.
There are no plans to change the present self- balancing arrangements.
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Benefit Entitlement
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to require people to have their name on the electoral register as a requirement for receipt of benefit. [2254]
Malcolm Wicks: It is not practical to require people to have their name on the electoral register as a requirement of receipt of benefit. Some people who are entitled to benefit are not entitled to vote.
Departmental Website (Search Facility)
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to offer a search facility on the Department for Work and Pensions website in addition to the link to UK Online. [2262]
Malcolm Wicks: A search facility was introduced to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) site on 4 July. As well as searching the DWP site it also allows users to search the former DSS website, which continues to provide accurate and up-to-date information. The link to UK Online will remain.
Pension Credit
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide tables similar to those in the Annex to the consultation paper on the Pension Credit (Cm 4900), showing how the scheme would operate in 2013–14 and 2023–24, assuming that the Minimum Income Guarantee rises in line with earnings and the basic pension in line with prices from 2003 on. [2388]
Mr. McCartney: The Pension Credit forms a key part of the Government's overall strategy for tackling pensioner poverty.
We are completing the design of the Pension Credit and will publish details of our proposals, including their long-term implications when the Bill is introduced.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he proposes to take to achieve the aim, set out on page 24 of the consultation paper on the Pension Credit (Cm 4900), that pensioners receiving full Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit should continue to do so after the introduction of the Pension Credit. [2389]
Mr. McCartney: The Pension Credit forms a key part of the Government's overall strategy for tackling pensioner poverty.
We are completing the design of the Credit and will publish details of our proposals when the Bill is introduced.
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