§ Mr. TimmsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list(a) the number of family credit claims and (b) the average payment of family credit by benefits offices made each year since 1992. [20296]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe administration of family credit is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from David Riggs to Mr. Stephen Timms, dated 18 March 1997:
As Peter Mathison is away from the office on annual leave, the Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the number of Family Credit (FC) claims and the average payment of FC by benefits offices made each year since 1992.The information is not available in the format requested. It may be helpful if I explain that FC is administered centrally by the Family Credit Unit. Statistics are produced on a national basis and provide the number of families in receipt of FC within a particular Benefits Agency (BA) office area at a given date. However, this only serves as a "snap-shot" of the position at that given date and does not provide details of the number of families in receipt of FC annually.The scan was introduced in 1989 and details are normally held for 18 months. However, details have been retained which indicate the number of families in receipt at April 1993 and each successive year.Details of the number of FC claims by BA offices will be placed in the Library.Details of the average award of FC are only available on a national basis and are not broken down by BA office area. Details for 1992 and each successive year shown in the attached annex.I hope you find this reply useful.
Average awards of family credit Date Average weekly entitlement(£) May 1992 37.69 May 1993 43.34 May 1994 47.09 May 1995 50.17 February 1996 54.97 Source:
Analytical Services Division, Family Credit Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, February 1996.
Figures are provisional and subject to change.