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30 Mar 2010 : Column 962W—continued
Poverty: Ethnic Groups
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children from an (a) Black Caribbean, (b) Black African, (c) Black other, (d) Indian, (e) Pakistani, (f) Bangladeshi, (g) other Asian, (h) Chinese, (i) other ethnic minority and (j) mixed race background resident in (i) the East Midlands, (ii) Leicester and (iii) England are living in severe poverty. [323489]
Helen Goodman: Between 1998-99 and 2007-08, some 500,000 children were lifted out of relative poverty as measured using the European Union standard definition based on 60 per cent. of median income. Measures announced in and since Budget 2007 are expected to lift around a further 550,000 children out of poverty. Absolute poverty has been halved.
Child poverty statistics, published in the households below average income series, only allow a breakdown at country level of the overall number of children in relative poverty by ethnic group. This means information for (i) East Midlands and (ii) Leicester is not available.
The ethnic groupings used in the table are the lowest level of breakdown available for the groups requested. This is because some of the groups asked for in the question have sample sizes which are too small to be reliable. Data are presented as three-year averages, due to variability in single-year estimates.
There is no official or agreed definition of severe poverty. The households below average income series presents a range of low-income thresholds (based on
50, 60 and 70 per cent. of median income). Figures for England looking at the number of children in households below 60 per cent. of median are given in the table. Statistics based on other thresholds are given in the Households Below Average Income publication, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
| Numbers of children living in Black Caribbean, Black Non-Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi, Chinese and other groups, and mixed race background households with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income before housing costs, England, 2005-06 to 2007-08 | |
| Ethnic group | Number of children (millions) |
| (1) Indicates less than 50,000 children. Notes: 1. These statistics are based on households below average income, sourced from the Family Resources Survey. Both the households below average income series and the Family Resources Survey are available in the Library. 2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for households below average income figures are single financial years. Three survey year averages are given for ethnic group statistics as single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. Household ethnic group has been classified according to the ethnic group of the household reference person. The household reference person is classified as the highest income householder without regard to gender. This is consistent with the households below average income publication. 5. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication "Households Below Average Income" series, which uses net disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 6. For the households below average income series, incomes have been equivalised using organisation for economic co-operation and development equivalisation factors. 7. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand children. Source: Households Below Average Income, 2005-06 to 2007-08. | |
Social Security Benefits
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been (a) paid out and (b) recovered in benefits to dead people in each of the last 10 years. [324411]
Helen Goodman: Unfortunately, through no fault of any individual, overpayments of benefit can arise following the death of a benefit recipient. Such overpayments normally arise as a result of the Department being notified of the death too late to stop an automated payment being made into the deceased's account.
We are doing all we can to improve the current process. We now receive electronic notifications of death from the Office for National Statistics on a daily basis. This will assist in enabling a prompt cessation of payments following death and reduce such overpayments occurring.
As from early 2009 we have a system in place whereby registrars in England and Wales automatically inform the Department on a daily basis of deaths notified to them. The Scottish Registrar's Office now notifies us of deaths by daily e-mail; this will be fully automated as from October 2010.
The Department has a duty to seek recovery of all overpaid funds where it is reasonable and cost-effective to do so. However, we seek to do this as sensitively as possible, taking account of the fact that this will be a
stressful time, particularly if the person contacted is a close friend or family member. Overpayments are written off if the deceased has no estate or there are insufficient funds in the estate.
The following table details how much was paid to, and recovered from, the deceased as from 2006-07. The systems on which this information is based were only introduced during 2005-06 and comprehensive information is only available from 2006-07.
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
| Source: Management Information from the Shared Services Debt Manager via Business Objects computer system. | |||
Social Security Benefits: Cambridgeshire
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) income support and (c) incapacity benefit in North-West Cambridgeshire constituency in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [324755]
Helen Goodman: Unemployment in the UK at the end of 2009 was more than 450,000 lower than had been predicted at the time of the 2009 Budget.
The available information is in the following table.
| Number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance (JSA), incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) and income support (IS) in North West Cambridgeshire, as at August in each of the last 10 years | |||
| As at August each year | JSA | IB/SDA | IS |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Benefits are arranged hierarchically and claimants are assigned to the topmost benefit which they receive. 3. JSA: Claimant of jobseeker's allowance. 4. IB/SDA: Claimant of either incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance. 5. Income Support: Claimants include lone parents and those not included in the IB/SDA figure. 6. Most existing minimum income guarantee cases (1.8 million) were migrated to pension credit when it was introduced in October 2003. Some residual cases remain. 7. This data does not include claimants of employment and support allowance introduced from October 2008. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | |||
Social Security Benefits: Disabled
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of claims for (a) disability allowance and (b) attendance allowance were approved made under special rules in the latest period for which figures are available. [322179]
Jonathan Shaw: The available information is provided in the table.
| Great Britain new claims for attendance allowance and disability living allowance by special rules year to August 2009 | |
| Benefit | Proportion of approved claims made under special rules ( Percentage ) |
| Notes: 1. Caseload totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 2. An on-flow to disability living allowance or attendance allowance is defined as someone who is shown as in receipt of either benefit on a quarterly data extract but did not appear on the previous quarterly data extract. These yearly figures are the sum of four quarterly on-flows calculated on this basis. This means that anyone flowing on and off the benefit between data extract dates will not appear in the figures. 3. The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of disability living allowance claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5 per cent. sample data, or disabling condition is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100 per cent. total for the benefit. These figures have been scaled up to the overall total. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. Figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | |
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for attendance allowance made under special rules were approved in each of the last five years. [322181]
Jonathan Shaw: The available information is provided in the table.
| Attendance allowance new claim awards for special rules by Great Britain by year August 2005 to August 2009 | |
| Awards | |
| Notes: 1. Caseload totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 2. An on-flow to attendance allowance is defined as someone who is shown as in receipt of benefit on a quarterly data extract but did not appear on the previous quarterly data extract. These yearly figures are the sum of four quarterly on-flows calculated on this basis. This means that anyone flowing on and off the benefit between data extract dates will not appear in the figures. For the year to August 2008 the November 2007 data extract was unavailable for technical reasons. This means that on-flows for this year comprise on-flows from May 2008 to August 2008, from February 2008 to May 2008 and from August 2007 to February 2008. 3. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 4. Caution: The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of disability living allowance claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5 per cent. sample data, or disabling condition is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100 per cent. total for the benefit. These figures have been scaled up to the overall total. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample. Figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study | |
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claims for incapacity benefit involved a request for medical information using an IB113 form between October 2007 and October 2008. [323426]
Jonathan Shaw: The available information is in the table.
| Total number of incapacity benefit referrals received by Atos Healthcare and the total number where an IB113 form was requested, October 2007 to October 2008. | |||
| Month | Incapacity benefit referrals | GP report requested | Percentage of referrals where a GP report was requested |
| Source: Atos Healthcare Management Information published to the Department for Work and Pensions. | |||
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