HC Deb 07 July 2000 vol 353 cc340-1W
Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if, for each of the last 12 months, in respect of the Minimum Income Guarantee, he will estimate(a) the number of applications, (b) the number of successful applications and (c) the average value of payments made. [129744]

Mr. Bayley

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

Minimum Income Guarantee pensioners and average weekly amounts, Great Britain May 1999 to February 2000
Quarter Number of claimants (thousand) Average weekly payment
May 1999 1,624 45.30
August 1999 1,628 45.16
November 1999 1,626 45.03
February 2000 1,604 44.88

Notes:

1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.

2. Pensioners are defined as where the claimant, and/or partner are aged 60 or over.

3. Figure are rounded to the nearest thousand.

4. Figures include claimants who may be in Residential Care/Nursing Homes.

Source:

Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, May 1999–February 2000.

Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if, for the Minimum Income Guarantee take-up campaign, he will estimate(a) the total administrative costs to date, (b) the administrative costs for the project team and teleclaims service, (c) the cost of the televised advertising campaign, (d) the total number of calls to the MIG claimline and (e) the number of claim packs issued, and of that number (i) the number of completed claim forms so far returned, (ii) the number of successful applications, (iii) the number of those successful claims that have so far been paid and (iv) the value of those claims so far paid. [129745]

Mr. Bayley

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

The total administrative costs, to the end of June, for the project team and teleclaims service is £2,639,236. The cost of the televised advertising campaign is estimated at £3,427,000 in total. To date the Minimum Income Guarantee claimline has received over 75,000 calls and from these calls over 35,000 claim packs have been issued.