HC Deb 25 February 1986 vol 92 cc525-9W
45. Mr. Bell

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to provide a more accurate estimate of the effect on income support claimants of the new rules on capital assessment proposed in the White Paper, "Reform of Social Security," Cmnd. 9691; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Newton

Such estimates are at present very imprecise as they can be obtained only from data about claimants' investment income contained in the family expenditure survey. The technical difficulties of collecting information about capital holdings are considerable, but we have asked the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys to undertake a pilot study to test the feasibility of obtaining more accurate data.

97. Mr. Roy Hughes

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussions he has had with student organisations concerning the social security review.

Mr. Newton

I shall let the hon. Member have a reply as soon as possible.

Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons are currently in receipt of attendance allowances (a) on the higher rate and (b) on the lower rate; and how these figures compare with corresponding figures for each of the past five years.

Mr. Yeo

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what recent representations he has received regarding the effect on severely disabled persons of the provisions of the Social Security Bill.

Mr. Newton

Since June 1985 I have met a number of organisations representing disabled people to discuss the social security reforms. I held a meeting in September 1985 at which the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation were represented, and a joint meeting attended by representatives from MENCAP, MIND and Spastics Society in October 1985. In addition I have addressed meetings held by organisations representing disabled people including the Royal National Institute for the Deaf in October 1985, the National Deaf Children's Society in October 1985 and the Spastics Society in November 1985.

A wide range of organisations representing disabled people responded to the invitation to send in comments on the Green Paper. These included the Voluntary Council for Handicapped Children, Disabled Information and Advice, Scottish Council on Disability, the Haemophilia Society, British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association, Greater London Association for Disabled People, Disability Alliance, Disablement Income Group, Disablement Income Group (Scotland), MENCAP, MIND, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Scottish Association for Autistic Children, National League of the Blind and Disabled, Royal National Institute for the Blind, National Schizophrenia Fellowship, Parkinson's Disease Society, RADAR, Scottish Association for Mental Health, Wales Council for the Disabled, The Association of Carers, National Association of Industries for the Blind and Disabled, and the Northern Ireland Council for the Handicapped.

Records of correspondence received since the publication of the White Paper are not held in a form which would enable me readily to identify those organisations representing disabled people.

Mr. Meacher

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what assumptions were made in tables P1 to P6 in the technical annex to "Reform of Social Security" as to the career pattern of earnings of each of the 12 earners listed in paragraph 1.3; and whether he will publish figures illustrating the effects of varying these assumptions.

Mr. Newton

The following tables set out the assumptions made for each of the earners listed in tables P1-P4 of the technical annex. The earnings values used are at November 1985 levels and are assumed to increase in real terms by 1.5 per cent a year. For tables P5 and P6, it has been assumed that women in table P3 were married to men in table P1 and women in P4 to men in P2, respectively.

I regret that it is not possible to provide information on the effects of varying these assumptions as producing this would involved disproportionate use of computer and manpower resources.

TABLE P1
Male—more years with earnings
£ per week
Age Low earnings Middle earnings High earnings
16 80 0 0
17 80 0 0
18 80 0 0
19 80 150 200
20 80 150 200
21 80 150 200
22 80 150 200
23 0 150 200
24 80 150 200
Age Low earnings Middle earnings High earnings
25 80 150 200
26 120 150 200
27 120 150 200
28 120 150 200
29 0 150 200
30 120 150 200
31 120 150 200
32 120 150 200
33 120 150 200
34 120 150 200
35 0 200 200
36 120 200 200
37 120 200 200
38 120 200 200
39 120 200 200
40 120 200 200
41 120 200 200
42 120 200 200
43 120 200 200
44 120 200 200
45 120 200 265
46 120 200 265
47 120 200 265
48 120 200 265
49 120 200 265
50 120 200 265
51 80 200 265
52 80 200 265
53 80 200 265
54 80 200 265
55 80 150 265
56 80 150 265
57 80 150 265
58 80 150 265
59 80 150 265
60 80 150 265
61 80 150 265
62 80 150 265
63 80 150 265
64 80 150 265
Table P2
Male—Fewer years with earnings
£ per week
Age Low earnings Middle earnings High earnings
16 0 0 0
17 0 0 0
18 80 0 0
19 80 150 0
20 80 150 200
21 80 150 200
22 80 150 200
23 0 150 200
24 80 150 200
25 80 150 200
26 120 150 200
27 120 150 200
28 120 150 200
29 0 0 200
30 120 150 200
31 120 150 200
32 120 150 200
33 120 150 200
34 120 150 200
35 0 200 200
36 120 200 200
37 120 200 200
38 120 200 200
39 120 200 200
40 0 200 200
41 120 200 200
42 120 200 200
43 120 200 200
Age Low earnings Middle earnings High earnings
44 120 200 200
45 0 200 265
46 120 200 265
47 120 200 265
48 120 200 265
49 120 200 265
50 0 200 265
51 80 200 265
52 80 200 265
53 80 200 265
54 80 200 265
55 80 150 265
56 80 150 265
57 80 150 265
58 80 150 265
59 80 150 265
60 80 150 265
61 80 150 265
62 80 150 265
63 80 150 265
64 0 150 265
Table P3
Female—More years with earnings
£ per week
age low earnings middle earnings high earnings
16 0 0 0
17 80 120 180
18 80 120 180
19 80 120 180
20 80 120 180
21 80 120 180
22 80 120 180
23 80 120 180
24 0 0 0
25 0 0 0
26 0 0 0
27 0 60 90
28 0 60 90
29 0 60 90
30 0 60 90
31 40 60 90
32 40 60 90
33 40 60 90
34 40 60 90
35 40 60 90
36 40 60 90
37 40 60 90
38 40 60 90
39 40 60 90
40 40 60 90
41 40 120 180
42 40 120 180
43 80 120 180
44 80 120 180
45 80 120 180
46 80 120 180
47 80 120 180
48 80 120 180
49 80 120 180
50 80 120 180
51 80 120 180
52 80 120 180
53 80 120 180
54 80 120 180
55 80 120 180
56 80 120 180
57 80 120 180
58 80 120 180
59 80 120 180
TABLE P4
Female—fewer years with earnings
£ per week
age low earnings middle earnings high earnings
16 0 0 0
17 80 120 180
18 80 120 180
19 80 120 180
20 80 120 180
21 80 120 180
22 80 120 180
23 80 120 180
24 0 0 0
25 0 0 0
26 0 0 0
27 0 0 0
28 0 0 0
29 0 0 0
30 0 0 0
31 0 0 0
32 0 0 0
33 0 0 0
34 0 0 0
35 0 0 0
36 40 60 90
37 40 60 90
38 40 60 90
39 40 60 90
40 40 60 90
41 40 60 90
42 40 60 90
43 40 60 90
44 40 60 90
45 40 60 90
46 0 0 0
47 80 120 180
48 80 120 180
49 80 120 180
50 80 120 180
51 80 120 180
52 80 120 180
53 80 120 180
54 80 120 180
55 80 120 180
56 80 120 180
57 80 120 180
58 80 120 180
59 80 120 180