§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons without accommodation were income support recipients in England at May 1991 and at the latest available date, breaking down the figures by age and by whether or not they were unemployed at the time.
§ Mr. BurtThe latest available information is in the table. It is not possible to provide figures which distinguish between those without accommodation for a significant period and those who may be only temporarily so.
Income Support recipients Persons without accommodation (England) Age of claimant Total Unemployed Other 16–19 700 400 300 20–29 4,900 4,800 100 30–39 1,500 1,200 300 40–49 900 900 — 50–59 600 400 200 Total 8,600 7,700 900 Notes:
1. Source: Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiry, May 1991.
2. All figures rounded to the nearest hundred.
§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons without accommodation were income support recipients at May 1991, and at the latest available date, in Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke on Trent and each London borough.
§ Mr. BurtI understand from Mr Michael Bichard, chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Austin-WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what communication he has received from694W a constituent of the hon. Member for Woolwich, national insurance No. YZ 83 86 39B; when it was received; and what was his response.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and copies will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. John Austin-Walker, dated 10 March 1993
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking "what communication he has received from a constituent of the honourable Member for Woolwich, NI. No. YZ838639B; when it was received; and what was his response.It may help if I explain that correspondence addressed to Ministers or the Chief Executive from customers concerning their individual circumstances is referred to the appropriate District Office for investigation and response.Your constituent has addressed a number of such letters which have been passed to the appropriate District for response. The papers in this case show without doubt that there has been unacceptable delay in the issuing of responses to your constituent. Indeed, more generally, it is very clear that the service provided by the Agency's office fell well short of the standard your constituent had every right to expect. For this I offer my sincere apologies.District management has now contacted your constituent regarding his enquiries and apologised for the delay. A full summary of Income Support paid has been sent to him and a meeting with the Agency's Customer Service Manager, is to be arranged, to resolve any remaining issues.I do regret the unsatisfactory standard of service that your constituent has received and add my apologies to those provided already. I trust that the response provided and any meeting with the Customer Services Manager will bring the issues to a satisfactory conclusion. I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 2 March,Official Report, column 113, how many redundant workers have been refused income support by the Chesterfield and Worksop benefits agency within the past year under the deprivation of capital regulations after paying off part or all of their mortgage.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of income support is a matter for Mr Michael Bichard the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and copies will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 10 March 1993.
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking, pursuant to his Answer of 2 March, column 113, how many redundant workers have been refused Income Support by the Chesterfield and Worksop Benefits Agency within the past year under the deprivation of capital regulations after paying off part or all of their mortgage.The complete range of information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. This is because statistics relating to the reason that benefit is refused are not normally collected.695WHowever, information relating to British Coal redundancies, where former workers have been refused Income Support on grounds of deprivation of resources, has been collected nationally since November 1992. I am therefore able to let you know that, since 16 November 1992, there have been a total of five refusals on these grounds. All of these have been made at the Chesterfield and Worksop Benefits Agency offices.I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by year for the last five years(a) the number of people employed by grade and (b) the annual cost of the contributory benefits section at his Department's offices at Castle house, Doncaster, classified by (i) sickness benefit, (ii) invalidity benefit, (iii) severe disablement allowance and (iv) maternity benefit.
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of benefits is a matter for Mr Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency and he will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 10 March 1993.
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking if he will list by year for the last five years (a) the number of people employed by grade and (b) the annual costs of the Contributory Benefits Section at his Department's offices at Castle House, Doncaster; classified by (i) sickness benefit, (ii) invalidity benefit, (iii) severe disablement allowance and (iv) maternity benefit.For operational reasons it is not possible to identify separately staff on sickness benefit and invalidity benefit or between severe disablement allowance and maternity benefit because the work is merged within staff sections. Figures are also only available for 1991–92 and 1992–93 since the Benefits Agency was formed.The information available is set out below:
Sickness and Invalidity Benefit Year 1991–92 Staff LO1 5.5 Staff LO2 17.5 Staff AA 3.0 Total Cost £306,000 1992–93 Staff LO1 5.5 Staff LO2 22.5 Staff AA 3.0 Total Cost £366,000 Severe Disablement Allowance and Maternity Benefit—1991–92 and 1992–93.
LO2 1.5 staff at a cost of £17,000.
Note: All totals are rounded to the nearest £1,000.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.