HC Deb 20 December 2000 vol 360 cc222-3W
Mr. Stunell

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 13 December 2000,Official Report, columns 132–33W, for each month between April 1999 and November 2000 to how many pensioners arrears were paid; what was the amount of arrears paid; and what was the average number of weeks of arrears that fell to be paid to each pensioner. [143267]

Mr. Rooker

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

Month Pension arrears paid (£) Number of pensioners
April/May 1999 478,979 1,522
June 1999 2,598,954 12,256
July 1999 2,358,507 9,580
August 1999 2,990,594 10,567
September 1999 1,990,580 7,557
October 1999 6,728,176 12,082
November 1999 4,153,782 12,191
December 1999 2,619,020 10,273
January 2000 2,974,503 7,958
February 2000 2,575,161 6,740
March 2000 2,229,035 5,279
April 2000 2,043,878 5,168
May 2000 2,121,227 6,814
June 2000 2,102,673 5,264
July 2000 1,374,305 5,103
August 2000 1,600,579 4,733
September 2000 1,825,299 4,377
October 2000 2,344,819 5,142
November 2000 2,053,352 4,625

Mr. Stunell

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answers of 13 December 2000,Official Report, columns 132–33W, what the total amount of interest foregone by pensioners on late payment of pensions was in each six month period from January 1997 assuming Bank of England base rate of interest on deposits had been obtained. [143150]

Mr. Rooker

The information is in the table. No information is available prior to April 1999.

Period Value of lost interest (£)
April 1999–September 1999 700,000
October 1999–March 2000 900,000
April 2000–September 2000 200,000
October 2000–November 2000 100,000

The potential loss of interest of £1.9 million has been redressed by the payment of compensation of over £2.7 million under the special £10 scheme announced in February 1999 and the DSS Special Payments Scheme.