HC Deb 13 July 1998 vol 316 cc78-9W
Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the early results from the research into pensioner non-take-up of income support have been consistent with the results from large-scale quantitative surveys undertaken by the Department with respect to(a) the level of non-take-up and (b) the distribution of non-take-up between different categories of pensioner. [50114]

Mr. Denham

The early results published 24 June 1998 offered an overview of key barriers and triggers to claiming Income Support amongst a specific group of pensioners—those apparently entitled to, but not claiming, the benefit. They were from qualitative interviews carried out to explore the reasons for not claiming Income Support and to identify possible means of encouraging pensioners to claim. As such, the results were not designed to provide the data that would be needed for such comparisons.

This is the first research carried out by this Department specifically into why pensioners do not take up the Income Support to which they are entitled. The purpose of the research, and of the nine pilots currently underway, is not to provide comparative data with previous information on non-take-up, but rather to establish why so many pensioners fail to take up the Income Support to which they are entitled, and to identify the most effective and efficient ways of encouraging them to claim.

Together, the research and the pilot exercises will enable us to find ways of delivering more automatic help to the poorest pensioners.

Median unclaimed amounts for pensioners by age, gender and marital status for 1995–96
£
Age
Pensioner group 60–64 65–69 70–74 75–79 80+ All
Pensioner couples 16.80 22.60 5.20 6.80 9.50 9.90
Single male pensioners 7.70 10.10 7.30 8.30 8.20 10.00
Single female pensioners 4.90 5.90 5.30 7.10 12.40 8.40

Notes:

  1. 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10p. These estimates are based on the 1995–96 FRS and are almost certainly subject to some degree of error. The true amounts may be higher or lower and should therefore be treated with some caution. The age breakdowns for Pensioner Couples and Single Male Pensioners are based on small sample sizes and should therefore be treated with extreme caution
  2. 2. "Pensioner couples" means both married and unmarried couples

Source:

Family Resources Survey (FRS) 1995–96