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3 Nov 2003 : Column 480W—continued
Pensioners' Benefits
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of public expenditure on (a) disability and (b) carers' benefits for pensioners as a percentage of gross domestic product in (i) 1997–98, (ii) 2002–03, (iii) 2010, (iv) 2020, (v) 2030, (vi) 2040, (vii) 2050 and (viii) for other years for which estimates have been made. [134473]
Maria Eagle: The information requested is in the table.
| 1997–98 | 2002–03 | 2010–11 | 2020–21 | 2030–31 | 2040–41 | 2050–51 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disability benefits | 0.47 | 0.52 | 0.54 | 0.49 | 0.48 | 0.45 | 0.38 |
| Carers' benefits | (41)— | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
(41) Values lower than 0.005 per cent of GDP.
Notes:
1. Disability benefits are Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance.
2. Carers' benefits cover Carers' Allowance only.
3. Projections are those underlying the Budget 2003 Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report, Annex A.
4. Gross Domestic Product assumptions up to 2005–06 are as underlying the Budget 2003 Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report, thereafter real economic growth is assumed to be 2.0 per cent. per year.
5. Current government policy on uprating of benefits is assumed throughout.
6. Expenditure is for Great Britain.
7. Figures are rounded to the nearest 0.01 per cent. of Gross Domestic Product.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of public expenditure on (a) the basic state pension, (b) SERPS and (c) the state second pension as a percentage of gross domestic product in (i) 1997–98, (ii) 2002–03, (iii) 2010, (iv) 2020, (v) 2030, (vi) 2040, (vii) 2050 and (viii) for other years for which estimates have been made. [134476]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is in the table.
| 1997–98 | 2002–03 | 2010–11 | 2020–21 | 2030–31 | 2040–41 | 2050–51 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic state pension | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
| SERPS | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Second state pension | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.5 |
Notes:
1. Figures for 2010 onward are consistent with the Government Actuary's Quinquennial Review of the National Insurance Fund laid before parliament on 27 October 2003. 1997/98 is based on DWP outturn information and 2002–03 is based on estimated outturn information.
2. All figures expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product
3. Expenditure is for Great Britain
4. The amounts shown for SERPS and Second State Pension in the above table only include projected expenditure on additional retirement pension. Amounts paid with incapacity benefit and widows'/survivors' benefits are excluded. Expenditure on contracted-out rebates, for employees who contract-out of second state pension, is not included in the figures shown above.
5. All projections assume current government policy remains in place until the end of the period. The estimates for basic state pension are based on uprating (in April) of an average 0.25 per cent. above the relevant (previous September) 12 months' Retail Price Index. This is to reflect the current policy for uprating the basic state pension by 2.5 per cent. in years where RPI uprating would be lower than 2.5 per cent.
Pensions (Direct Payment)
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners responded to the first letter from his Department regarding nomination of an account into which future pension payments could be made; and how many did not. [134806]
Mr. Pond: We do not have the information requested. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Key figures on the progress of conversion to Direct Payment are available in the Library updated every four weeks.
Pensions/Minimum Income Guarantee
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what increase in Government spending on (a) pensions and (b) the minimum income guarantee there has been in Brent North since 1997. [135120]
3 Nov 2003 : Column 481W
Malcolm Wicks: The information that is available is in the table.
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenditure on Income Support for the Under 60s/Minimum Income Guarantee | ||||||
| Great Britain | 3,773 | 3,619 | 3,781 | 4,095 | 4,486 | 4,481 |
| Brent North | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Expenditure on State Retirement Pensions | ||||||
| Great Britain | 33,557 | 35,575 | 37,775 | 38,718 | 41,893 | 44,346 |
| Brent North | — | — | 40 | 41 | 44 | 47 |
Notes:
Estimates are based on a combination of samples of 5 per cent. of benefit recipients and Great Britain out-turn expenditure data.
Figures are in nominal terms.
Figures for state retirement pension in Brent North are unavailable prior to 1999–2000.
Figures for 2002–03 are based on estimated expenditure, as at Budget 2003.
Bereavement Benefits
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps have been taken in the last 12 months to ensure that information about (a) bereavement pension and (b) bereavement payment is available as widely as possible. [135485]
Mr. Pond: Information is available from local Jobcentre Plus and Social Security offices, and the Department for Work and Pensions website gives information about Bereavement Benefits together with leaflets and claim forms for downloading. A fully revised version of leaflet NP45 'A guide to Bereavement Benefit' for professional advisers and members of the public was published in May this year. Leaflets D49 "What to do after a death in England and Wales" and D49S "What to do after a death in Scotland" are reviewed and revised as necessary annually.
In addition, we have been working with funeral directors, Registrars and voluntary groups such as Cruse, National Association of Widows and Citizens Advice Bureaux who may be contacted by bereaved people.
We have worked with Registrars to amend the social security form for notifying the Department of a death (BD8) to draw greater attention to the fact that it can be used to initiate a claim for bereavement benefits, this went to print in April 2003 and has been in use by Registrars since then. Within the last year we have also arranged for Funeral Directors to be able to obtain Bereavement Benefit claim packs so that they can be given directly to bereaved people.
We keep under review the way that information is made available about bereavement benefits so that bereaved people, at this very difficult time in their lives, know about their potential right to benefit and can act on it at the right time.
Sign Languages
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the submission of the Government to the Bureau of the Steering Committee on Education (Council of Europe) outlining its proposals and position statement on the legal recognition of sign languages. [135936]
3 Nov 2003 : Column 482W
Stakeholder Pensions
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new stakeholder pensions have been taken up by individuals (a) without any other form of occupation pension provision and (b) from the initial target group of those earning between £10,000 and £20,000 a year. [135015]
Malcolm Wicks: The information requested in (a) is not available. Information relating to (b) is contained in the following table.
| Annual earnings of stakeholderpension policy holders | Number of stakeholder pension sales by earnings group in 2001–02 tax year |
|---|---|
| Under £10,000 | 200,000 |
| £10,000 to £20,000 | 330,000 |
| £20,000 to £30,000 | 160,000 |
| £30,000 to £40,000 | 40,000 |
| £40,000 to £50,000 | 10,000 |
| £50,000 to £60,000 | 10,000 |
| £60,000 and above | 20,000 |
Notes:
1. 60,000 of sales were to people not in work (e.g. children, spouses, the unemployed and pensioners).
2. Numbers do not sum to total sales in tax year because of rounding of information bands to the nearest 10,000.
3. Earned income data is derived from the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) and consists of all income chargeable under Schedule E (mainly pay, private and occupational pensions, retirement annuities and state retirement pensions) Schedule D Cases I and II (self-employment income), and miscellaneous other earnings.
4. The SPI is a representative sample of nearly 200,000 individuals, drawn from the Revenue's Self Assessment, Pay As You Earn and Claims systems. Where we have been able to match these individuals to the SPI, primarily those with earned income, the totals in the tables are based on this sample.
Source:
Inland Revenue data for 2001–02 tax year
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