Child Support (Hansard, 19 March 1993)

§ Mr. Stern
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 9 March,Official Report, columns 530–31, on the Child Support Agency, if he will list all those benefits or payments administered by his Department to which a taper of 90 per cent. or greater can be applicable.

§ Mr. Burt
Income in excess of disregarded amounts is taken fully into account for the purposes of income support. None of the other income-related benefits attract a taper of 90 per cent. or more. However, where a number of other income-related benefits are in payment the combination of more than one benefit taper will occasionally produce a marginal deduction rate in excess of 90 per cent.
For the purpose of child support maintenance, where an absent parent falls within the protected income 421W provision the income subject to the 90 per cent. deduction rate will include all social security benefits with the exception of attendance allowance, disability living allowance, pensioner's Christmas bonus, social fund payments and the first £10 of war disablement pension or war widow's pension.

§ Mr. Stern
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 9 March,Official Report, column 530, on child support, if he will make a statement on the reasons for differentiating between corporate non-contributory pension schemes and all other pension schemes in framing the rules for the calculation of child support maintenance.

§ Mr. Burt
The child support maintenance system has followed the rules in the income-related benefits in allowing only half of any contribution to an occupational or personal pension scheme to be deducted from earnings.
An employee who is a member of a personal or occupational pension scheme pays a reduced national insurance contribution and less income tax in recognition of the separate pension contribution. If no account were taken of the pension contribution, the lower tax and national insurance contribution would produce a higher figure for net income and, therefore, a higher assessment of

Age 60–64 65–69 70–74 75–79 80+

Percentage of single pensioners gross income less than £5,000 pa¹ 9 24 16 28 23

Percentage of pensioner couples gross income less than £5,000 pa¹ 0 31 22 34 13

Notes:
¹Owing to small sample sizes, the estimates quoted are liable to a significant degree of error.
The age of a couple is taken to be the age of the husband.

§ Mr. Frank Field
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the percentage break down of all pensioner units in the age groups(a) 60 to 64 years, (b) 65 to 69 years, (c) 70 to 74 years, (d) 75 to 79 years and (e) 80 plus years.

§ Miss Widdecombe
Estimates are in the table.

Age 60–64 65–69 70–74 75–79 80+

Percentage of all pensioner units 7 33 18 26 16

Notes:
(a) A pensioner unit is a single person aged over state pensionable age (SPA) or a couple where the husband is aged over SPA.
(b) The age of a couple is taken to be the age of the husband.
(c) The distribution of all pensioner units is an estimate based on the 1988 Family Expenditure Survey data adjusted to United Kingdom totals.

	Age 60–64	65–69	70–74	75–79	80+
Percentage of single pensioners gross income less than £5,000 pa¹	9	24	16	28	23
Percentage of pensioner couples gross income less than £5,000 pa¹	0	31	22	34	13