HC Deb 02 March 2000 vol 345 cc352-3W
Mr. Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the (i) numbers and (ii) percentages of single parents on(a) Income Support, (b) Income Support and the remainder of a Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit award, (c) Income Support and Housing Benefit, (d) Working Families Tax Credit and Housing Benefit, (e) Housing Benefit and (f) other benefits. [112167]

Angela Eagle

The information is in the table.

Single parents receiving various benefits, Great Britain at a point in time 1
Number of claimants Percentage of single parents 2
Benefit
Income Support 1,042,000 65.1
Income Support and Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit 14,000 0.9
Income Support and Housing Benefit 826,000 51.6
Working Families Tax Credit and Housing Benefit3 151,000 9.4
Housing Benefit 1,016,000 63.5
Other benefits
Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance 14,000 0.9
Widow's Benefit 47,000 2.9
Family Credit 405,000 25.3
Disability Working Allowance 2,511 0.2
1 Numbers are given at a point in time. For all benefits except Widow's Benefit and Housing Benefit information is given at August 1999. Housing Benefit and benefit combinations with Housing Benefit are given at May 1998 (latest figures available), and Widow's Benefit is given at March 1999.
2 Percentage of lone parents is based on the caseload, as a proportion of official best estimates of the lone parent population for 1996 (provisional).
3 Housing Benefit with Working Families Tax Credit information is not yet available as the Housing Benefit data predates the introduction of WFTC. Figures represent Housing Benefit with Family Credit.

Notes:

  1. 1. There will be a significant overlap between recipients of some benefits as a claimant may be in receipt of more than one Social Security Benefit.
    2. 353W
  2. 2. Income Support, Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit, Widows Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance information is based on a 5 per cent. sample and is therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
  3. 3. Disability Working Allowance (DWA) figures are based on a 100 per cent. count of claims and are unrounded.
  4. 4. Widows Benefit information is based on a 1 per cent. sample and is therefore subject to a degree of sampling error. Figures are for those widows resident in GB and overseas and are in thousands.
  5. 5. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand, except DWA where exact figures are quoted.
  6. 6. Figures are based on all single parents with dependants, and not just those with a lone parent premium.

Sources:

  1. 1. Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, August 1999.
  2. 2. Jobseeker's Allowance Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, August 1999.
  3. 3. Family Credit Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, August 1999.
  4. 4. Disability Working Allowance 100 per cent. count of claims.
  5. 5. Official Best estimates of the lone parent population taken from Population Trends.
  6. 6. Housing Benefit Management Information System annual 1 per cent. sample enquiries, taken on the second Thursday of May 1998.
  7. 7. Pensioners Strategy Computer System, March 1999.