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8 Jun 2005 : Column 604W—continued
WORK AND PENSIONS
Disability Benefits
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many drug addicts in Bassetlaw are receiving incapacity benefit. [144]
Mrs. McGuire: As at November 2004, there were 200 incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in Bassetlaw, whose primary diagnosis was recorded as drug abuse.
We want to make sure that everyone in society has the opportunity to enter into employment including drug misusers. The Progress2work (p2w) initiative which helps recovering drugs misusers into work has now been rolled out across Jobcentre Plus. Progress2work help includes specialist support to help people through mainstream programmes and provision for intensive measures to help those overcoming very serious problems.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have made claims for incapacity benefit are receiving credits towards their pension entitlement and not cash; and if he will make a statement. [961]
Mrs. McGuire: As at November 2004, there were 929,400 incapacity benefit claimants receiving national insurance credits only. However, 787,100 of these received income support. Some of the remaining 142,300 will also be in receipt of other, non income-related, benefits.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people had been claiming incapacity or invalidity benefit for (a) up to one year, (b) one to two years, (c) two to three years, (d) three to four years, (e) four to five years, (f) five to 10 years, (g) 10 to 15 years and (h) 15 years and over in each of the last 30 years. [2159]
Mrs. McGuire: No information is available prior to 1982. The most recent available information is for 2002. The available information is in the following table.
Notes:
1. Figures are shown in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
2. Some historical tables have slightly different duration lengths:
(18) For period ending 30 March 1985, the figure shown in the column 'four to five years' is actually for the duration of four to six years. The figure in the 'five to 10 years' column is actually for six to 10 years. Also the figure for '10 to 15 years' is that for 10 years and over.
(19) A breakdown of the figures for period ending 5 April 1986 is not available.
(20) For period ending 31 March 1996, the figure shown in the column 'four to five years' is actually for the duration of two to five years.
(21) Invalidity benefit was replaced by incapacity benefit in April 1995.
3. Figures marked with "n/a" are not available.
Source:
Information Directorate, 1 per cent. Samples.
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Financial Assistance Scheme
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many representations he has received regarding the eligibility of pension schemes which were wound up after May 2004 and before April 2005 for the Financial Assistance Scheme, broken down by scheme; and what response he made to the representations. [1842]
Mr. Timms: We have received a number of representations over the last year about pension schemes that started to wind up between May 2004 and April 2005. A separate breakdown of the representations about individual schemes is not available. In the light of the representations we announced in November 2004 that, provided they meet the other eligibility criteria, members of pension schemes with insolvent employers that started to wind up between those dates would receive help from the scheme.
Local Housing Allowance
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average rent was in each of the local reference rent localities within the local housing allowance pilot areas in each month in the last two years. [920]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the table.
n/a = Not available
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1.
2. Data are not available for some local authorities for some quarters due to concerns about data quality.
Source:
Local Authority Management Information data.
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Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time taken to process housing benefit applications in the local housing allowance pilot areas has been; and if he will make a statement. [921]
Mr. Plaskitt: The Pathfinder local authorities (LAs) are subject to a comprehensive, robust evaluation programme which will include an assessment of the impact of local housing allowance (LHA) on processing times.
Although it is too early to draw firm conclusions regarding the impact of LHA on processing times, early indications from Pathfinder LAs and local stakeholders is that processing times are reducing.
Mobility Cars
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether publicly-funded mobility cars may be provided for people over the age of 65 years; and if he will make a statement. [1871]
Mrs. McGuire
[holding answer 6 June 2005]: Severely disabled people who claimed and qualified for the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance before reaching age 65 may continue to receive it after that age if they continue to meet the conditions of
8 Jun 2005 : Column 607W
entitlement. If they choose to do so, they can use it to obtain a vehicle through the Motability scheme. Disability living allowance is focused on providing extra financial help to people who are severely disabled early, or relatively early, in life and as a result may have less opportunity to work and save. It is not available to people who become disabled after reaching age 65. However, attendance allowance provides them with well targeted help with their disability-related extra costs and helps maintain their independence. It is a tax-free, non-contributory benefit which is not income-related and is currently worth up to £60.60 per week. It is part of the wide range of help that the Government makes available to older people.
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