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New Deal for Disabled People

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have taken part in the new deal for disabled people (a) nationally and (b) in West Lancashire. [196857]

Mr. Timms: Nationally, 271,180 people started the new deal for disabled people between July 2001 and August 2007. In the same period, 490 people started the programme in the West Lancashire constituency.

Pensioners

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of measures introduced by his Department since 1997 on pensioners in (a) the UK, (b) the North East, (c) the Tees Valley and (d) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland. [198003]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Latest available information shows that average net incomes of pensioner households in the UK increased by 29 per cent. between 1996-97 and 2005-06, and average net incomes of pensioner households in the North East increased by 29 per cent. between 1994-95 to 1996-97 and 2003-04 to 2005-06. Information for the Tees Valley and Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland is not available.

The Government have introduced a number of measures since 1997 to help older people to enjoy a better standard of living, most notably the introduction of the minimum income guarantee and its successor pension credit. We have successively raised the pension credit standard minimum guarantee by earnings in every year since its introduction. For 2008 the standard minimum guarantee will rise to £124.05—an increase of 4.2 per cent.—more than keeping pace with earnings and prices.

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In addition we have introduced winter fuel payments for those aged 60 and over, including an extra one-off payment for winter 2008-09 of £50 for households with someone aged 60 to 79 and £100 for those with someone aged 80 or over announced in the Budget on 12 March 2008.

We have also introduced free television licences for people aged over 75 and from April 2008 those over 60 will be entitled to free off-peak bus travel in England. We have committed to increasing the basic state pension by earnings by 2012, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, or by the end of the next Parliament.

As a result of the personal tax and benefit changes that we have introduced pensioner households nationally will be around £1,500 a year better off in 2008-09 than they would have been under the 1997 system. The poorest third of pensioner households will on average be around £2,100 a year better off.

Our new public service agreement ‘Tackle poverty and promote greater independence and wellbeing in later life’ demonstrates our commitment to ensure that the specific needs of the older population are given due priority.

Social Security Benefits: Recipients

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) London and (b) England in receipt of (i) jobseeker's allowance and (ii) incapacity benefit have been claiming benefit continuously for (A) more than three months, (B) more than six months, (C) more than a year and (D) more than two years. [189308]

Mr. Plaskitt: The most recent available information is in the following tables:

Jobseekers allowance claimants in England and London by duration of current claim; as at January 2008
	All	Up to 3 months	3 months up to 6 months	6 months up to 1 year	1 year and up to 2 years	2 years and up to 5 years	5 years and over
England	688,505	333,700	147,450	108,025	69,835	24,400	5,105
London	130,730	53,895	30,400	23,595	16,160	5,410	1,280
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest five; totals may not sum due to rounding. Source: Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (computer held cases only).

Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in England and London by duration of current claim: As at May 2007
	All	Up to 3 months	3 months up to 6 months	6 months up to 1 year	1 year and up to 2 years	2 years and up to 5 years	5 years and over
England	2,166,480	105,600	91,420	135,500	189,720	440,810	1,203,400
London	311,410	14,500	13,750	21,020	29,170	69,990	162,980
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; totals may not sum due to rounding. Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent WPLS

Social Security Benefits: Wales

Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people claimed each type of benefit in (a) Aberavon constituency and (b) Wales in each year since 1979. [190221]

Mr. Plaskitt: Information is not available prior to 2002. Estimates for the proportion of the population are not available at parliamentary constituency level. The available information is in the following tables.

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Working age and pensioner client groups, by statistical group and proportion (percentage) of adult population in Wales, as at May each year
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
All benefits	947,340	949,200	944,530	945,710	949,070	948,240
Proportion	40.5	40.2	39.7	39.5	39.5	39.4
Job seekers	45,700	45,120	38,620	40,320	44,400	40,100
Proportion	2.0	1.9	1.6	1.7	1.8	1.7
Incapacity benefits	223,970	221 ,220	216,800	212,140	206,880	200,540
Proportion	9.6	9.4	9.1	8.9	8.6	8.3
Lone parents	46,580	45,020	42,860	40,540	39,800	38,540
Proportion	2.0	1.9	1.8	1.7	1.7	1.6
Carers	30,350	34,180	41 ,780	46,310	49,860	52,540
Proportion	1.3	1.4	1.8	1.9	2.1	2.2
Other income related benefit	93,770	94,270	134,090	143,110	144,850	145,380
Proportion	4.0	4.0	5.6	6.0	6.0	6.0
Disabled	138,000	142,900	128,630	126,520	129,450	133,590
Proportion	5.9	6.1	5.4	5.3	5.4	5.6
Bereaved	10,610	9,530	8,500	7,860	7,080	6,340
Proportion	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3
State pension only	358,370	356,970	333,260	328,910	326,750	331,220
Proportion	15.3	15.1	14.0	13.8	13.6	13.8

Working age and pensioner client groups, by Statistical group in the Aberavon parliamentary constituency, as at May each year
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
All	25,240	25,280	24,870	24,860	24,720	24,560
Job seekers	1,070	1,110	860	1,000	1,010	960
Incapacity benefits	7,550	7,520	7,340	7,230	6,920	6,700
Lone parent	1,320	1,300	1,220	1,190	1,170	1,180
Carers	1,110	1,310	1,580	1,780	1,980	2,090
Other income related benefits	2,590	2,580	3,640	3,810	3,960	3,920
Disabled	4,620	4,760	4,240	4,100	4,060	4,150
Bereaved	210	190	170	140	140	120
State pension only	6,770	6,530	5,830	5,620	5,480	5,450
Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Figures for attendance allowance, carers allowance, and disability living allowance include those cases with entitlement but where payment is currently suspended (for example, because of an extended stay in hospital or an overlapping benefit). 4. Statistical Group is a hierarchical variable. A person who fits into more than one category will only appear in the top-most one for which they are eligible. Job Seeker: claimant on jobseekers allowance; Incapacity benefits: claimant on incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance; Lone Parent: claimant on income support with child under 16 and no partner; Carer: claimant entitled to carer’s allowance; Other Income related benefit: claimant on income support or pension credit; Disabled: claimant on attendance allowance or disability living allowance; Bereaved: claimant on bereavement benefit or widow's benefit; State Pension only: claimant in receipt of state pension only. For example a claimant of disability living allowance and jobseekers allowance would appear in “job seeker”, not in “disabled”. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. ONS mid-year population estimates.

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