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11 Oct 2004 : Column 35W—continued
Disability Living Allowance
15. Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of appeals against the disallowance of disability living allowance were successful in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003. [190405]
Maria Eagle: The numbers of disability living allowance appeals cleared at hearing for the periods requested are set out as follows.
| Lodged | Received | Cleared at hearing | Cleared in favour | Percentage cleared in favour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 86,440 | 87,245 | 86,280 | 45,165 | 52.3 |
| 2002 | 82,490 | 82,630 | 72,815 | 39,495 | 54.2 |
| 2003 | 87,340 | 83,665 | 69,865 | 36,850 | 52.7 |
Notes:
1. All figures are subject to change as more up-to-date data becomes available.
2. Figures for the latest months may rise significantly as information feeds through to the Appeals Service.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
4. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
5. Percentages are to one decimal place and are based on unrounded figures
6. Figures include the results of all appeals. The figures for successful appeals against disallowance only are not available.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample
11 Oct 2004 : Column 36W
Minimum Income Guarantee
16. Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners entitled to the minimum income guarantee were in receipt of it at the latest date for which figures are available. [190406]
Malcolm Wicks: Last October minimum income guarantee was replaced by pension credit, a less intrusive, more generous entitlement. As at 31 August, over two million pensioner households were receiving the guarantee element, getting money to the poorest pensioners. This includes 260,000 more households that have been receiving financial assistance that they did not get under the minimum income guarantee.
Final Salary Pension Schemes
17. Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the number of people participating in final salary pension schemes. [190407]
Malcolm Wicks: We estimate that in total there are around 22 million individual entitlements to benefits in UK defined benefit pension schemes. The number of people participating will be slightly lower than this, as individuals can be members of more than one scheme.
Benefit-Tax Credit Interaction
18. Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the interaction of benefits and tax credits. [190408]
Mr. Pond: We are determined to make work pay and to tackle the traps of unemployment and poverty; tax credits are at the heart of this strategy. Over 6 million hard working families are already benefiting from tax credits and over half of all children in the UK are benefiting from the increase in child tax credit.
DWP and the Inland Revenue will keep working with local authorities to ensure that tax credits, housing benefit and council tax benefit work together and continue to make it easier than ever before to move into work.
School Crossing Patrol Officers
19. Mr. Blizzard : To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend the higher level of earnings disregard to benefit claims from school crossing patrol officers. [190409]
Mr. Pond: All aspects of benefit payment, including disregards, are kept under constant review in order to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of benefit and the best use of public funds.
I want to pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his vigorous campaigning on this issue, but he knows that this is a complex matter with wider implications and I cannot promise that we will be able to act in the way that he would wish.
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Pensions Commission
20. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects the Pensions Commission to report. [190410]
Malcolm Wicks: The Pensions Commission has announced that it will publish its first report tomorrow. This will be a thorough analysis of the UK Pensions System. I welcome the work of this independent Commission which we established to keep under review the regime for UK private pensions and long-term savings. I look forward to its findings.
Incapacity Benefit
22. Ann McKechin : To ask the Secretary of State for Works and Pensions, if he will make a statement on incapacity benefit. [190412]
Maria Eagle: As we have already said, this Government are determined to do more to address the legacy of inactivity.
Between 1979 and 1997 the number of people receiving Incapacity Benefit trebled and had that trend continued there would be around four million people now on Incapacity Benefit instead of 2.7 million.
Almost all of those who move on to incapacity benefits want and expect to go back to work. Our reforms will give them the opportunity and full range of help needed to realise that goal.
Attendance Allowance
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what factors contribute to delays to the reinstatement of attendance allowance, where that allowance has been suspended following a stay in hospital. [190028]
Maria Eagle: A number of factors can contribute to delays to the reinstatement of attendance allowance where that allowance has been suspended following a stay in hospital. These can include the need to contact the customer or obtain medical evidence in order to determine the impact on benefit entitlement of any change in the customer's condition. In some cases there is a need to obtain information from other sources such as a hospital, local authority or residential care home. There will also be a need to liaise with other parts of the Department where payment of attendance allowance is combined with other Social Security benefits. Staff are advised that where there are other matters to consider, priority should be given to re-instating benefit prior to making any further inquiries wherever possible.
Benefit Calculation
Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will disregard borough councillor allowances as income for the purposes of benefit calculation. [190100]
Mr. Pond:
The basic councillor allowance is payable to all councillors for the time they devote to their work and to cover costs for which no other specific payment
11 Oct 2004 : Column 38W
is made. For those people in receipt of income related benefits, such as income support, income based jobseeker's allowance and pension credit, which are intended to help people whose resources are insufficient to meet their day-to-day living expenses; this is treated in the same way as other types of earnings and attracts the normal £5 or £20 earnings disregard. However, expenses are fully disregarded where the expenses were incurred wholly, exclusively and necessarily in the performance of the councillor's duties.
For those in receipt of incapacity benefit, which is normally paid to people who are incapacitated by the effects of their illness or disability, there is an exception for local authority councillors. Incapacity benefit is not normally payable to people who work and receive an income, however, the special provision for councillors recognises the particular obligations placed on elected councillors by disregarding such work for the purposes of deciding entitlement to benefit. Account is taken of the amount of allowance payable but benefit is affected only if the allowance exceeds the prescribed limit of £78 in any week. In this event, benefit is reduced on a pound-for-pound basis by the amount that the allowance exceeds the limit.
We have no plans to change the way in which these allowances are treated.
Bereaved Parents Allowance
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against non-allowance of the bereaved parents allowance there have been in each of the last three years; and how many were successful. [188404]
Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr David Drew, dated 6 October 2004:
The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question regarding the number of appeals against non-allowance of the bereaved parents allowance there have been in each of the last three years; and how many were successful.
The information is not available in the format you have requested as figures for all Widows/Bereavement benefits are recorded together. However, the information in table 1 gives details of all Widows/Bereavement benefit claims in payment. Table 2 gives details of all Widows/Bereavement benefit appeals received in each of the last three years and the number of those appeals that were successful.
| In payment figures | |
|---|---|
| March 2002 | 36.8 |
| March 2003 | 44.4 |
| March 2004 | 46.4 |
Bereavement benefit note:
Figures are in thousands and are rounded to the nearest hundred.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample.
11 Oct 2004 : Column 39W
| Financial year | Lodged | Received | Cleared at hearing | Cleared in favour | Cleared against | Cleared upheld | Cleared others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2001–March 2002 | 865 | 775 | 580 | 85 | (16)— | 485 | 5 |
| April 2002–March 2003 | 1,095 | 1,060 | 700 | 85 | (16)— | 610 | 5 |
| April 2003–March 2004 | 705 | 810 | 705 | 85 | (16)— | 610 | 10 |
(16) Denotes data equal to nil or negligible.
Appeals data notes:
All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available.
Figures for the latest months may rise significantly as information feeds through to the Appeals Service.
Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
Figures may not sum due to founding.
Please note that figures for the latest year may be approximately 5 per cent. overstated due to operational changes regarding the closure of Salford Regional Centre.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.
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