§ Lord Morris of Manchesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will update the estimates previously given to Parliament of the amounts by which they estimated that entitlements to Disability Living Allowance and those of retirement pensioners to Income Support went unclaimed, to include the year 1998–99. [HL3854].
§ Baroness Hollis of HeighamNo estimates of the actual amounts of unclaimed Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance have been made. Indications of the incidence of disability obtained from the 1996–97 Family Resources Survey were used to make broad estimates of take-up rates for those benefits at that time and suggested that perhaps 30–50 per cent of those entitled to the Disability Living32WA Allowance care component, 50–70 per cent of those entitled to the mobility component, and 40–60 per cent of those entitled to Attendance Allowance were actually claiming the benefit. Such broad ranges, covering five rates and 11 possible combinations of benefit, cannot be reliably converted to cash terms. In general, it is reasonable to assume that it is normally people likely to receive smaller awards of benefit who do not claim.
Estimates of Income Support take-up, based on 1998–99 survey data and including information for pensioners, are due to be published later this year.