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Benefit Take-up (Scotland)
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in (a) Banff and Buchan and (b) Scotland were entitled to but did not claim (i) guardian's allowance, (ii) income support, (iii) disability living allowance, (iv) attendance allowance, (v) disablement benefit, (vi) reduced earnings allowance, (vii) retirement allowance, (viii) widow's pension, (ix) bereavement payment, (x) graduated retirement allowance, (xi) severe disablement allowance, (xii) invalid care allowance, (xiii) child benefit, (xiv) incapacity benefit, (xv) maternity allowance, (xvi) widow's payment and (xvii) widowed mother's payment in each year since 1997. [72841]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many individuals in Scotland were in receipt of (a) guardian's allowance, (b) income support, (c) child benefit, (d) working families tax credit, (e) disabled person's tax credit, (f) incapacity benefit, (g) maternity allowance, (h) widow's payment, (i) widowed mother's allowance, (j) widow's pensions, (k) bereavement payment, (l) graduated retirement allowance, (m) severe disablement allowance, (n) invalid care allowance, (o) disability living allowance, (p) attendance allowance, (q) disablement benefit, (r) reduced earnings allowance and (s) retirement allowance in each year since 1997; [72784]
- (2) how many individuals in Banff and Buchan were in receipt of (a) child benefit, (b) incapacity benefit, (c) maternity allowance, (d) widow's payment, (e) widowed mother's allowance, (f) widow's pension, (g) bereavement payment, (h) retirement allowance, (i) guardian's allowance, (j) income support, (k) graduated retirement allowance, (l) severe disablement allowance, (m) invalid care allowance, (n) disability living allowance, (o) attendance allowance, (p) disablement benefit and (q) reduced earning's allowance in each year since 1997. [72821]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information has been placed in the Library. Tax credits are the responsibility of the Inland Revenue.
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Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many individuals in Angus were entitled to but did not claim (a) child benefit, (b) incapacity benefit, (c) maternity allowance, (d) widow's payment, (e) widowed mother's allowance, (f) widow's pension, (g) disablement benefit, (h) reduced earning's allowance, (i) retirement allowance, (j) guardian's allowance, (k) income support, (l) child benefit, (m) bereavement benefit, (n) graduated retirement allowance, (o) severe disablement allowance, (p) invalid care allowance, (q) disability living allowance and (r) attendance allowance in each year since 1997; [72797]
- (2) how many individuals in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) the UK were entitled to but did not claim (i) incapacity benefit, (ii) maternity allowance, (iii) widow's payment, (iv) widowed mother's allowance, (v) widow's pension, (vi) attendance allowance, (vii) disablement benefit, (viii) reduced earnings allowance, (ix) retirement allowance, (x) guardian's allowance, (xi) income support, (xii) bereavement payment, (xiii) graduated retirement allowance, (xiv) severe disablement allowance, (xv) invalid care allowance and (xvi) disability living allowance in each year since 1997. [72801]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested for the Angus constituency is not available.
Estimates of the number of families entitled to income related benefits but not claiming them in Great Britain are published in "Income Related Benefits—Estimates of Take-Up". Copies of this annual publication are in the Library.
Information on the other benefits listed is not available.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many individuals in the constituency of North Tayside were entitled to but did not claim (a) child benefit, (b) incapacity benefit, (c) maternity allowance, (d) widow's payment, (e) widowed mother's allowance and (f) widow's pension in each year since 1997; [72799]
- (2) how many individuals in North Tayside were entitled to but did not claim (a) bereavement payment, (b) graduated retirement allowance, (c) severe disablement allowance, (d) invalid care allowance, (e) disability living allowance, (f) attendance allowance, (g) disablement benefit, (h) reduced earnings allowance, (i) retirement allowance, (j) guardian's allowance and (k) income support in each year since 1997. [72800]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in the constituency of Moray were entitled to but did not claim (a) child benefit, (b) incapacity benefit, (c) maternity allowance, (d) widow's payment, (e) widowed mother's allowance, (f) widow's pension, (g) bereavement allowance, (h) graduated retirement allowance, (i) severe disablement allowance, (j) invalid care allowance, (k) disability living allowance, (l) attendance allowance, (m) disablement benefit, (n) reduced earnings allowance, (o) retirement allowance, (p) guardian's allowance and (q) income support in each year since 1997. [72798]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available.
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Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in Perth were entitled to but did not claim (a) guardian's allowance, (b) income support, (c) child benefit, (d) incapacity benefit, (e) maternity allowance, (f) widow's payment, (g) widowed mother's allowance, (h) widow's pension, (i) bereavement payment, (j) graduated retirement allowance, (k) severe disablement allowance, (l) invalid care allowance, (m) disability living allowance, (n) attendance allowance, (o) disablement benefit, (p) reduced earnings allowance and (q) retirement allowance in each year since 1997. [72782]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available.
Benefit Linking Rules
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will take steps to ensure that the rules for those receiving benefits and undertaking voluntary work do not prevent them receiving their benefits; and if he will make a statement; [68754]
- (2) if he will list the recent changes to the benefit linking rules; and how many people have taken advantage of these in (a) Glasgow, Pollok, (b) the City of Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the United Kingdom. [68809]
Malcolm Wicks: We encourage jobseekers to participate in voluntary work and recognise that it can play an important role in preparing people for paid employment. People of working age in receipt of benefit can now do unlimited voluntary work as long as the usual entitlement conditions are met, and we have recently extended the disregard of reimbursed expenses for people in receipt of income-related benefits to help those wishing to take up voluntary work. To encourage more unemployed people to participate in voluntary work, the Department's leaflets have been, or are in the process of being, revised to ensure that they contain positive messages on volunteering.
We are also removing other obstacles to work within the benefit system. For example, we have extended the Incapacity Benefit linking rules to 52 weeks, or 2 years for people receiving Disabled Person's Tax Credit, allowing disabled people to try out work safe in the knowledge that they can return to the same rate of benefit if the job doesn't work out. We estimate that 10,700 1 people in Great Britain have benefited from this change since October 1998 and, of those, 1,600 1 were in Scotland and around one hundred 1 in the City of Glasgow. No reliable data are available by parliamentary constituency.
In addition, linking rules for people receiving income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Income Support were changed from 9 April 2001 to allow them to re-qualify for help with mortgage interest straight away if they reclaim benefit within 52 weeks of starting full-time employment. In Great Britain, we estimate that around one hundred people 2 in receipt of income-based Jobseeker's Allowance have benefited from this change. No reliable data are available by country, local authority area or parliamentary constituency. Data for those in receipt of Income Support benefiting from this measure are not held centrally.
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1. Figures are drawn from 5 per cent. samples of the Incapacity Benefit computer system and are subject to a degree of sampling error. They exclude a small number of clerically held cases. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Figure is drawn from Jobseeker's Allowance Quarterly Statistical Enquiries May 2001 to February 2002, and is subject to a high degree of sampling variation. It should therefore be treated as a guide to the number benefiting only. The figure has been rounded to the nearest hundred.
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