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Pensioners
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people (a) retired and (b) drew their state pension in each year since 1996; how many people are over (i) 60, (ii) 65, (iii) 70, (iv) 75 and (v) 80 years; how many people are (A) eligible for the Minimum Income Guarantee for pensioners and (B) actually claiming the Minimum Income Guarantee for pensioners; and if he will make a statement. [2804]
Mr. McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.
The latest estimates show that there are 10.5 million people of state pensionable age in Great Britain.
| Thousand | |
|---|---|
| Total ages | |
| March 1996 | 10,315.4 |
| March 1997 | 10,468.3 |
| March 1998 | 10,633.7 |
| March 1999 | 10,751.5 |
| March 2000 | 10,881.9 |
Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and expressed in thousands.
2. Includes all retirement pensioners resident in Great Britain, Overseas and Channel Islands.
Source:
5 per cent. sample from the Pension Strategy Computer System at March for each year.
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| Men | Women | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| People aged 60 and over | 5.16 | 6.72 | 11.88 |
| People aged 65 and over | 3.79 | 5.3 | 9.08 |
| People aged 70 and over | 2.58 | 3.99 | 6.57 |
| People aged 75 and over | 1.55 | 2.75 | 4.3 |
| People aged 80 and over | 0.75 | 1.64 | 2.39 |
Note:
Numbers of people are in millions rounded to the nearest 10,000 people.
Source:
Information is from the GAD 1998 Population Projections.
The latest estimates of pensioners entitled to but not claiming Income Support (Minimum Income Guarantee since April 1999) are set out in the publication "Income Related Benefits—Estimates of Take Up in 1998–99", a copy of which is in the Library.
As at February 2001 there were 1,679,300 people in Great Britain claiming Minimum Income Guarantee.
- Notes:
- 1. The figure provided for people in Great Britain claiming Minimum Income Guarantee is based on a 5 per cent. sample of cases.
- 2. The figure has been rounded to the nearest 100.
- 3. Claimants are those who, or their partners, are 60 years or over.
- Source:
Income Support Statistics Quarterly Inquiries—February 2001.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what was the average time taken by the Child Support Agency independent case examiner to conclude each case given to him in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01; [4161]
- (2) how many cases the Child Support Agency independent case examiner dealt with in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01; [4160]
(3) how many people were employed by the Child Support Agency independent case examiner in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01. [4159]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is in the table.
| Staff employed | Cases dealt with | Average time (weeks) to conclude cases | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 41 | 204 | 17.4 |
| 1998–99 | 38 | 474 | 25.3 |
| 1999–2000 | 46 | 665 | 33.7 |
| 2000–01 | 60 | 595 | 38.5 |
Disability Rights Commission
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Disability Rights Commission submitted to him the draft code of practice on part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and when he intends to lay it before Parliament. [4308]
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Maria Eagle: Officials in my Department and the Commission have been working together on parts of the draft of the Code that was provided in February. The final version of the Code will be laid before Parliament when this work has been completed.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) permanent and (b) casual staff there were in his Department on (i) 1 May 1997 and (ii) the most recent date for which figures are available. [4158]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed from the Department of Social Security, Employment Service and part of the Department for Education and Employment on 11 June 2001. The following staffing figures shown relate to the component parts of the new Department. The figures for 1 May 1997 include Contributions Agency, Family Credit Unit which have since moved from the Department and the Information Technology Services Agency.
At 1 May 1997 the Department of Social Security employed 97,625 permanent staff and 5,203 casuals. The figures for the Employment Service at that time were 32,248 permanent and 2,413 casual.
At 31 May 2001, the Department of Social Security employed 89,599 permanent staff and 2,290 casuals. The Employment Service employed 35,067 permanent staff and 1,863 casuals.
Incapacity Benefit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide a breakdown of the recipients of Incapacity Benefit by each available age cohort; and if he will make a statement. [3660]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is available in the Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance Quarterly Summary Statistics February 2001 which are in the Library.
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will provide a breakdown by (a) constituency and (b) region of the United Kingdom of the number of new claimants of Incapacity Benefit anticipated in each year until 2005–06; [3917]
- (2) what projection he has made of (a) the number of future claimants who will lose entitlement to Incapacity Benefit as a result of the proposed changes and (b) the average loss of entitlement per claimant, broken down by (i) constituency and (ii) region, of (A) Scotland, (B) England, (C) Wales and (D) Northern Ireland; [4154]
(3) what assessment he has made of the annual saving as a result of the Government's proposed changes to Incapacity Benefit in each year up to 2005–06, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) each region of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [3920]
Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. The proposed changes to Incapacity Benefit are intended to help people move into work where possible, rather than reducing people's entitlement or making savings. In the past many people were moved onto Incapacity Benefit with limited help to make sure
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that they got the right level of support. There was no help to get people into work, nor any support or rehabilitation. Yet, as research has shown, one million disabled people not in work say they would like to work. We have a duty to help them do so and our proposals will help to achieve this.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people currently receive Incapacity Benefit; how many have had no test of the status of their incapacity and their ability to work within the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [3659]
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many new claimants of Incapacity Benefit will have their claims subject to the new rules proposed by the Government on entitlement to Incapacity Benefit in each year until 2005–06, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) region of (i) Scotland, (ii) England, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland; [3918]
- (2) what proportion of Incapacity Benefit claimants for each year until 2005–06 will receive their benefit under (a) existing eligibility criteria and (b) the Government's proposed changes to the entitlement rules. [3919]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Members to the written answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions gave the hon. Members for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) and for Northavon (Mr. Webb) and my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on 11 July 2001, Official Report, columns 565–67W.
David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of those in receipt of Incapacity Benefit are not subject to periodic medical tests because of their severe disability. [4364]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the table.
| Number (Thousand) | Percentage of all recipients | |
|---|---|---|
| All Incapacity Benefit (IB) recipients | 1,515.2 | 100.0 |
| Total exemptions from the personal capability assessment | 366.7 | 24.2 |
Notes:
1. The data relate to recipients of IB at 28 February 2001.
2. The data do not include "National Insurance credits only" cases.
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