Benefit Take-up

HC Deb 13 January 1998 vol 304 cc205-6W

Mr. Swinney

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the take-up rate in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) Scotland of (i) jobseeker's allowance, (ii) income support, (iii) family credit, (iv) disability living allowance, (v) disability working allowance, (vi) housing benefit, (vii) council tax benefit and (viii) severe hardship allowance. [22473]

Mr. Bradley

We would encourage anyone who is entitled to a benefit to make a claim. We are addressing the particular problem of pensioners failing to claim their Income Support entitlement by commissioning research into why they do not claim, and by running a number of pilot schemes to help find out how best to get help to them.

Latest estimates show that in Great Britain in 1995–96: the take-up of Income Support was between 88 per cent. and 92 per cent. by expenditure and between 76 per cent. and 82 per cent. by caseload; take-up of Family credit was 83 per cent. by expenditure and 70 per cent. by caseload; take-up of Housing Benefit was between 93 per cent. and 96 per cent. by expenditure and between 89 per cent. and 94 per cent. by caseload; take-up of Council Tax Benefit was between 76 per cent. and 84 per cent. by expenditure and between 74 per cent. and 82 per cent. by caseload¹. Figures for Scotland are not available in the form requested but are likely to be broadly similar to those for Great Britain as a whole.

Estimates of take-up for Jobseeker's Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Disability Working Allowance and Severe Hardship Allowance are not available.

For estimates relating to Northern Ireland, I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Source:

¹ DSS estimates from 1995–96 Family Resources Survey.

Note:

Estimates are not available for Jobseeker's Allowance because of its relatively recent introduction; for Disability Living Allowance because work on them is still in progress; and for Disability Working Allowance and Severe Hardship Allowance because of the small numbers entitled to these benefits and thus the small sample sizes involved in the surveys used to produce estimates of take-up.