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18 Apr 2006 : Column 403W—continued
Benefits
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to allow payment of benefits to be sent to elderly and infirm people who are unable to collect the payments themselves and do not have close relatives who can collect them on their behalf. [59447]
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Mr. Plaskitt: There are well established arrangements in place to ensure that elderly and infirm people in this situation can receive their benefit payments through a nominated third party if necessary and there are no proposals to change them. The precise nature of these arrangements depend on whether the person is capable of managing their own affairs and which method of payment best suits their needs and circumstances.
Most banks and building societies have arrangements that will allow someone to access the customer's account with the customer's permission. Some accounts that offer cheque books or building society passbooks may provide more flexibility in these circumstances. Customers who cannot be paid directly into an account are paid by means of a cheque which can be cashed by a third party if the customer is unable to collect the payment themselves.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Ribble Valley received (a) widow's benefit, (b) housing benefit, (c) council tax benefit and (d) income support in each year since 1997. [63195]
Mr. Plaskitt: Widows benefit is not available broken down geographically prior to 1999. Housing benefit and council tax benefit figures are not available broken down by parliamentary constituency; local authority figures have been provided.
The available information is in the following tables.
n/a = Figures are not applicable.
(177) Nil or negligible.
Notes:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Bereavement Benefit, which replaced Widows Benefit for new claims, was introduced in April 2001.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent.
Notes:
1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Council Tax Benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.
4. 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 August 1997 to August 2005.
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Notes:
1. Figures for August 1999 to August 2005 are from the DWP 100 per cent. Work & Pensions Longitudinal Study, while figures for August 1997 and August 1998 are derived by applying 5 per cent. proportions to 100 per cent. totals.
2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
3. Income Support figures exclude Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG); Pension Credit replaced MIG on the 6 October 2003 and ended IS entitlement to customers aged 60+. Pension Credit cases are not included in the figures in the table.
Source:
DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) and DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. samples
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Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Wirral West residents have received council tax benefit in each of the last five years. [62347]
Mr. Plaskitt: Council tax benefit figures are not available broken down by parliamentary constituency. The information for Wirral Metroplitain Borough Council is in the table.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 34,600 |
| 2002 | 34,600 |
| 2003 | 33,900 |
| 2004 | 35,000 |
| 2005 | 34,700 |
Notes:
1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Figures refer to households which may be a single person or a couple.
3. Figures exclude any Single Adult Rebate cases.
Source:
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken between August 2001 and August 2005.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on housing benefit in (a) cash and (b) real terms in each year since 1997–98. [62116]
Mr. Plaskitt: The information is in the following tables.
n/a = not applicable; Discretionary Housing Payments were introduced in July
2001.
Source:
DWP Budget 2006 Expenditure Tables.
n/a = not applicable; Discretionary Housing Payments were introduced in July 2001.
Source:
DWP Budget 2006 Expenditure Tables.
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Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the annual increase in housing benefit if the single room rent rule for people aged under 25 years was abolished; [62129]
(2) what the cost would be of abolishing the housing benefit single room rent rule for people aged under 25 years. [62354]
Mr. Plaskitt: The cost of abolishing the Housing Benefit single room rent rule for people aged under 25 years has been estimated to be at least £20 million per year.
This estimate cost is rounded to the nearest £10 million and does not include any behavioural effects.
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether existing recipients of incapacity benefit will be able to receive the planned (a) higher rates of benefit and (b) additional services for which new claimants will be eligible. [60829]
Mrs. McGuire: We are determined to ensure that people already on incapacity benefits are treated fairly, while also ensuring that they have the right levels of support and encouragement to help them return to work where this is possible. We are therefore proposing that people already on incapacity benefits should have their existing benefit level protected but should also be able to benefit from the support we offer. Indeed, existing claimants in Pathways areas have always been able to volunteer for the programme and many already do. We have set out our proposals in the Green Paper A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work" (Cm 6730) published on 24 January 2006; available in the Library.
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland are in receipt of long-term incapacity benefit, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) constituency; and if he will make a statement. [62811]
Mrs. McGuire: The information is in the tables.
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Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, 100 per cent. data.
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Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria were used in making the decision that people in receipt of incapacity benefit should not be eligible for social fund grants; and if he will make a statement. [63368]
Mr. Plaskitt: It has been a long-standing policy of successive Governments to focus help with one-off expenses on those people who have to manage on the lowest incomes.
When the social fund was set up eligibility was confined to those getting income support (IS) in the same way that eligibility for single payments had been restricted to those getting supplementary benefit.
Eligibility for the current scheme replicates the eligibility criteria for the previous scheme. And this continued to be the case when jobseeker's allowance was introduced with only the income-based part—previously provided through IS—being a passport to the discretionary social fund. Basing eligibility for discretionary social fund payments (apart from crisis loans) on means tested income replacement benefits provides a clear distinction between those who are eligible to apply for help and those who are not.
This ensures that available resources are targeted at the poorest and enables the scheme to be administered without additional, complex means tests being used solely for social fund purposes.
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