§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much income support has been paid to claimants in(a) private nursing home care, (b) private residential home care, (c) public nursing home care and (d) public residential care homes in the last 10 years (i) in total and (ii) as an average per claimant.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe annual expenditure and the average expenditure per claimant for private residential care and nursing homes since 1981 for people claiming income support/supplementary benefit are in the table:
(i) Disablement Benefit Claims—Great Britain—1980–89
135W
Year Total claims (thousands) 1989 102 1988 87 1987 100 1986 122 1985 119 1984 107 1983 121
Year Total claims (thousands) 1982 115 1981 116 1980 126 After 1986, claims were necessary to establish entitlement to Reduced Earnings Allowance where Disablement Benefit is itself not payable because assessed disablement is less than 14 per cent.
(ii) Information on the number of claims accepted is not available.
The figures below are for the number of initial assessments of disablement in the year they were first paid. Initial awards of gratuities are available until 1986–87 only.
Initial Disablement Assessments Year Disablement Gratuities (thousands) Disablement Pensions (thousands) 1989–90 n/a n/a 1988–89 n/a 7 1987–88 n/a 10 1986–87 6 5 1985–86 53 6 1984–85 53 6 1983–84 58 6 1982–83 56 7 1981–82 65 6 1980–81 65 7 Figure for 1986–87 covers the period 1 October 1986 to 4 April 1987.
(iii) Total benefit expenditure estimates for disablement benefit only are not available. The figures below include expenditure on reduced earnings allowance.
Industrial injuries benefit expenditure 1980–81 to 1989–90 Year £ (million) 1989–90 470 1988–89 451 1987–88 453 1986–87 440 1985–86 407 1984–85 381 1983–84 369 1982–83 343 1981–82 315 1980–81 282
Disablement benefit claims received in Nottingham offices Year Total claims1 1990–912 693 1989–90 966 1988–89 1,052 1987–88 1,207 1986–87 1,647 1985–86 1,786 1984–85 1,486 1 Offices at Castlegate, David Lane, Shakespeare Street and Station Street. 2 Figures to December 1990 only. Note: Figures of claims made are retained at local offices for only six years. Figures relating to claims accepted and the amount paid in disablement benefit at Nottingham offices are not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.