§ Earl Russellasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the costs of administering the scheme of Severe Hardship Payments of Income Support for people aged 16 and 17.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Lord Henley)The administration of Income Support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the noble Earl with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
64WALetter from Mr. David Riggs, Finance Director, Benefits Agency, dated 2nd April 1993.
Dear Lord Russell
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is the responsibility of Mr. Michael Bichard to answer questions about relevant operational matters. However, as Mr. Bichard is away at the moment I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to Her Majesty's Government, asking what are the costs of administering the scheme of Severe Hardship Payments of Income Support for people aged 16 and 17.
The most recent figures available are for the financial year 1991/92 and relate only to the administration of the Severe Hardship Claims Unit rather than the cost of the scheme as a whole. For 1991/92 the cost of administering the Severe Hardship Claims Unit was £629,611.
Further administrative costs for the Severe Hardship Scheme arise within Benefits Agency Districts. Those costs are not kept separately within the overall administrative costs for Income Support. However, for the financial year 1992/93 the costs have been estimated at £1.5 million.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will appear in the Library.