§ Mr. Hattersleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the Official Report for each of his Department's local offices serving the Birmingham, Sparkbrook constituency the current number of persons employed; and if he will give, where available, the comparable figures for 1979, 1980 and 1981.
§ Mr. NewtonThe information requested is as follows:
pension and paying it (a) to all those currently claiming and (b) to all those currently entitled to claim noncontributory invalidity pension.
§ Mr. Hugh Rossi[pursuant to his reply, 17 March 1982, c. 130]: It is estimated that nearly 100,000 sick and disabled people are receiving supplementary benefit, but no incapacity benefit. It is likely that a majority of these would be entitled to non-contributory invalidity pension (NCIP) if they claimed it.
It is estimated that the additional net cost, at 1981–82 benefit rates, of paying NCIP at the level of contributory invalidity pension (IVP) would be £16 million in respect of those already in receipt of NCIP; plus a further £10 million for those currently thought to be entitled to claim NCIP.
The cost of raising housewives non-contributory invalidity pension (HNCIP) to the IVP level, at 1981–82 benefit rates, is estimated to be £23 million, but there would be some offsetting supplementary benefit savings to take into account, the amount of which is not known.