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8 Nov 2005 : Column 367W—continued

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) disability benefit have more than five GCSEs or equivalent qualifications in (i) England, (ii) the Tees Valley and (iii) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency. [26488]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received (a) housing benefit, (b) council tax benefit, (c) income support and (d) incapacity benefit in the constituency of Hemel Hempstead, in each year since 1997. [24039]

Mr. Plaskitt: The available information is in the tables.
Housing benefit and council tax benefit caseloads in Dacorum borough council, May 1997–2005

Housing benefitCouncil tax benefit
19978,1009,000
19987,6008,500
19997,1008,000
20007,0007,900
20016,7007,600
20026,5007,400
20036,7007,500
20046,9007,800
20057,1008,200




Notes:
1. Figures for housing benefit and council tax benefit are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
2. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
4. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases.
5. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.
Source:
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in May 2005.




Income support claimants in the Hemel Hempstead parliamentary constituency, May 1997 to May 2005

19972,000
19982,000
19992,200
20002,400
20012,500
20022,500
20032,500
20042,500
20052,500




Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. For comparison purposes, the income support figures do not include pensioners. Income support has not been payable to pensioners since October 2003.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, combination of Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and 5 per cent. sample data.




 
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Incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in the Hemel Hempstead parliamentary constituency, May 2000–05

19972,500
19982,500
19992,600
20002,500
20012,600
20022,700
20032,800
20042,800
20052,800




Notes:
1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Claimants include incapacity benefit, severe disability allowance and national insurance contributions-only cases.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.




Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Kingston and Surbiton constituency have received (a) widows benefit, (b) housing benefit, (c) council tax benefit and (d) income support in each year since 1997. [23887]

Mr. Plaskitt: The available information is in the tables.
Bereavement benefit and widows benefit recipients in the Kingston and Surbiton parliamentary constituency: May 2000–05

As at May:Bereavement benefitWidows benefit
2000n/a400
2001n/a300
2002100300
2003100200
2004100200
2005100200




Notes:
1. n/a = not applicable; bereavement benefit replaced widows benefit for new claims in April 2001
2. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Breakdown by parliamentary constituency is not available prior to May 2000.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.




Housing benefit and council tax benefit caseloads in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames: May 1997–2005

As at May:Housing benefitCouncil tax benefit
19976,6007,600
19985,6006,200
19996,0006,600
20005,7006,300
20015,9006,500
20025,9006,500
20036,1006,800
20046,6007,300
20057,0007,800




Notes:
1. Figures for housing benefit and council tax benefit are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
2. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
4. Council tax benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.
5. Housing benefit figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.
Source:
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in May 2005.




 
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Income support claimants in the Kingston and Surbiton parliamentary constituency: May 1997 to May 2005

As at May:Claimants
19973,100
19982,900
19992,700
20002,600
20012,700
20022,600
20032,700
20042,700
20052,700




Notes:
1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
2. For comparison purposes, the income support figures do not include pensioners. income support has not been payable to pensioners since October 2003.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, combination of Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and 5 per cent. sample data.




Bereavement Benefits

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of men who lost their wives and who claimed for widows and bereavement benefits prior to 1 April 2001 but whose claims were rejected are now eligible to claim retrospectively for (a) widow's bereavement allowance and (b) bereavement payment; and if he will make a statement on eligibility to backdated widows' and bereavement benefits in cases where the wife of a man died before 1 April 2001. [26259]

Mr. Plaskitt: Bereavement benefits were introduced on 9 April 2001 for both men and women. Prior to this date there was no provision to pay widows' benefits to men and this is still the case.

The Government have decided to offer settlement on claims for discrimination relating to widowed mothers' allowance and widow's payment, but only to those widowers who have an admissible case in the European Court of Human Rights and who satisfy the benefit conditions and made their original claim at the correct time. Widowers who were unsuccessful in the recent cases before the House of Lords were able to take their case to Europe provided they did so by 4 November 2005 (six months from the House of Lords ruling). We are not currently aware of how many cases may be involved.

Any claims for widow's payment or widowed mothers' allowance by a man whose wife died before 9 April 2001 and who has not previously made an application to the European Court or was not involved with the domestic cases will now be too late. Any claims received from widowers at Jobcentre Plus or social security offices will be subject to the usual late claim rules and will be disallowed because they are out of time. In deciding on this approach we have been guided by previous admissibility decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in widowers' cases.

Child Support

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many potential child support cases are awaiting processing at the point of entry for benefit cases via the Jobcentre Plus interface. [18698]


 
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Mr. Plaskitt: At the end of August 2005 there were 85,000 such cases. However, in addition to new valid applications this figure includes applications where there is insufficient information available to identify the non-resident parent, and changes of circumstance in relation to an existing case.

Correspondence

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the correspondence dated 22 March and 1 April from the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton with regard to Mr. Stephen Stone, reference Ston010, sent again on 4 July. [23877]

Mr. Plaskitt: I replied to the hon. Member on 31 October. I am sorry that the hon. Member's correspondence was handled incorrectly in the Department.


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