§ Angela SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the increase in the number of pensioners entitled to the Minimum Income Guarantee as a result of the Budget in(a) the Basildon parliamentary constituency, (b) Basildon and (c) Thurrock. [117053]
§ Mr. BayleyThe number of pensioners who will benefit from the recent increases in benefit rates is listed in the table.
Number of pensioners currently entitled to the Minimum Income Guarantee Number Basildon parliamentary constituency 2,700 Basildon local authority 4,400 Thurrock local authority 2,800 Source:
November 1999 Quarterly Statistical Enquiry
We also estimate that over 500,000 pensioners in total will benefit from the increased capital limits in the Minimum Income Guarantee, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. Estimates of pensioners newly entitled to benefit because of these changes are not available at constituency level.