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14 May 2007 : Column 524W—continued
Pension Credit: Easington
John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Easington constituency received pension credit in each of the last three years. [135858]
James Purnell: The answer is in the following table.
| Household recipients of pension credit in Easington constituency, 2004 - 06 | |
| As at August each year: | Household recipients |
| Notes: 1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data. | |
Pensioners: Council Tax Benefit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of owner occupier pensioner households receive council tax benefit. [134148]
Mr. Plaskitt: The available information is in the following table.
Pensioners: Social Security Benefits
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps have been taken by his Department to inform pensioners of their entitlement to (a) pension credit and (b) winter fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement. [134017]
James Purnell: The information is as follows:
The Pension Service has undertaken a wide range of steps to encourage eligible pensioners to claim pension credit.
We have written to everyone who we believe may have an entitlement to pension credit, encouraging them to apply.
In addition, we are improving our service and encouraging take up by enabling new customers who call to claim their state pension to also apply for pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit in a single call if appropriate.
The Pension Service Local Service offers face-to-face visits to the most vulnerable pensioners during which full benefit entitlement checks are carried out. One million home visits were carried out during 2006-07.
The Pension Service Local Service is continuing to work very closely with local partners (including local authorities and voluntary organisations such as Help the Aged and Age Concern) to maximise take up of pension credit. We are widening the scope of partnership activity and expanding our current work programme with key utilities and other major companies whose customers include likely eligible non- recipients of pension credit. These activities are being supported by national press advertising to maintain the high profile of pension credit. Local marketing and media campaigns will be targeted in those regions and areas where there are relatively high numbers of eligible non-recipients.
Winter fuel payments are made to people aged 60 or over (men and women). Over 99 per cent. of the payments are made automatically without the need to claim. Some people who are not in receipt of a benefit administered by DWP need to claim. Each year we send claim forms automatically to everyone whom we
know from departmental records will be aged 60 by the end of the qualifying week and for whom we have a current address. An extensive publicity campaign begins in July and includes advertisements in both regional and national newspapers.
Poverty: London
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of (a) all people, (b) children, (c) working age disabled people and (d) disabled children in London were living in severe low income (defined as less than 40 per cent. of contemporary median income) in each year since 1996-97. [136012]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The information requested is not available.
Retirement: Age
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average retirement age is for couples who are (a) childless and (b) not childless. [135453]
James Purnell: The information requested is not available.
Social Security Benefits: Benefits Rules
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what consideration he has given to the introduction of a single working age benefit as recommended by David Freud; [131830]
(2) what discussions he has had with private sector organisations on the introduction of a single working age benefit, as recommended by David Freud. [131832]
Mr. Jim Murphy: In our Green Paper “A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work” we said that there may be advantages in moving in the longer term towards a single system of benefits for all people of working age. We will consider the issues further in the light of David Freud’s report and recommendations. No specific options have been discussed with commercial organisations.
Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what further consideration he has given to the introduction of a work-related activity premium for lone parents with older children, as proposed in the Welfare Reform Green Paper. [131833]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Following the publication of reports by Lisa Harker and David Freud, we are reconsidering our welfare reform proposals to ensure we have consistent and effective policies to tackle child poverty. We still feel that the Work Related Activity Premium (WRAP) could be a powerful incentive to help lone parents prepare for work and we are now looking at ways of incorporating the premium in our evolving plans for lone parents and poorer families.
State Retirement Pensions: Females
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women reaching age 60 in 2005 are recorded as having at least one year of Home Responsibilities Protection which (a) did not coincide with a year which qualified for a retirement pension on the basis of contributions or credits, (b) did coincide with such a year and (c) coincided with a year in which there was a Class 1 reduced rate National Insurance election. [123887]
James Purnell [pursuant to the reply, 14 March 2007, Official Report, c. 382W]: Of those women reaching age 60 in 2005-06:
(a) Around 180,000 are recorded as having at least one year of Home Responsibilities Protection which did not coincide with a year which qualified for basic state pension on the basis of contributions and/or credits.
(b) Around 140,000 women are recorded as having at least one year of Home Responsibilities Protection which did coincide with a year which qualified for basic state pension on the basis of contributions and/or credits.
(c) Finally, around 60,000 are recorded as having at least one year of Home Responsibilities Protection which coincided with a year in which there was a class 1 reduced rate national insurance election.
As a result of these issues the information used to answer this PQ only includes data up to and including the 2003-04 tax year.
Additionally, the figures in the response are based on information available for women aged 58 in 2003-04, since these women are aged 60 in 2005-06. No allowance has been made for deaths between 2003-04 and 2005-06.
Figures refer to women living in the UK as well as women living overseas.
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000.
2. Figures refer to women living in the UK and overseas.
Source:
Lifetime Labour Market Database 2, 2006 release.
Unemployment
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people of working age were out of employment in each year since 1977-78, broken down by (a) unemployed, (b) lone parents on income support, (c) those on incapacity benefit, (d) retired people and (e) other; and if he will make a statement. [124621]
Mr. Jim Murphy: Information is not available in the format requested; the information is not available prior to 1999. The available information is in the following table.
Winter Fuel Payments
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what procedures are in place to allow people to claim the winter fuel allowance retrospectively in cases where they had not been notified of its availability; [134865]
(2) what steps his Department takes to notify people about their eligibility to claim the winter fuel allowance benefit as they first become eligible. [134866]
James Purnell: Over 99 per cent. of winter fuel payments are made automatically without the need for a claim as we hold sufficient information on our benefit systems to identify the vast majority of eligible people. Some people who are not in receipt of a benefit administered by DWP need to claim. Each year we send claim forms automatically to everyone who is not in receipt of a benefit administered by DWP, but whom we know from departmental records, will be aged 60 by the end of the qualifying week and where we have a current address. We also run an extensive publicity campaign which begins in July and includes advertisements in both regional and national newspapers. Information on winter fuel payments is also included in a number of leaflets including “Are you over 50?” and “The Pensioner's Guide”, as well as a specific winter fuel payment leaflet and on The Pension Service website at
Claims for the years 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 may still be made. Payments were originally made during these years to people receiving specified benefits only. Following a change in the rules in 2000, payments became available to people aged 60 or over regardless of whether they were receiving a benefit. This also applied to the earlier years and therefore no time limits were imposed for claims for these years. Time limits for claiming winter fuel payments apply from winter 2000-01 onwards and for people who need to claim, claim forms are available from July for the oncoming winter. In order to be successful, claims must be
submitted by 30 March the following year. Any claims received after the cut off date will be disallowed. There is a right of appeal against any disallowance decision.
Winter Fuel Payments: Easington
John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Easington constituency received winter fuel allowance in the last three years. [135859]
James Purnell: The information is in the following table.
| Easington constituency | |
| Payments made | |
| Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. 3. Figures for 2006-07 refer only to the main payment run so they do not include the late payment run figures. We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid in late payment runs (0.8 per cent. of all payments). Since most of the payment runs are to people who are not receiving another benefit from DWP and whose claims had not been received by the qualifying week, most are men aged 60 to 64. Source: Information directorate 100 per cent. data. | |
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