§ Mr. ProsserTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact on old people whose pensions are reduced while in hospital. [24067]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health, has looked at issues affecting hospital in-patients including rules governing the downrating of benefits.
This rule prevents double provision from public funds as the publicly funded NHS maintains people while they stay in hospital as well as providing free treatment. Social security maintenance benefits are also paid from state funds. They are therefore not paid in full indefinitely where a person is in a NHS hospital and having their day-to-day living expenses met through the NHS.
The double provision principle is a key cornerstone of the system of national insurance introduced over 50 years ago.
§ Mr. ProsserTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners, affected by the hospital downrating rules, have had demands to pay back to the Pensions Service sums of(a) between £25 and £50, (b) between £51 and £100, (c) between £101 and £200 and (d) more than £200, in the last year for which figures are available. [24065]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe information is not available in the required format.
§ Mr. ProsserTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average value was of pension reduction applied to pensioners who had hospital stays of(a) more than six and (b) more than 52 weeks, in the last year for which figures are available. [24066]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe average weekly reduction in retirement pension for pensioners in hospital between six and 52 weeks is £23.
703WThe average weekly reduction in retirement pension for pensioners in hospital over 52 weeks is £56.
Source:
Administrative data, 31 March 2001.
§ Mr. ProsserTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners, affected by the hospital downrating rules, had their pensions reduced after(a) six and (b) 52 weeks in hospital in the last year for which figures are available. [24068]
§ Mr. McCartneyThe information requested is in the table:
Category of hospital reduction Number of retirement pensioners Reduced after 6 weeks 23,000 Reduced after 52 weeks 10,000 Source:
March 2001 Administrative Sample
§ Mr. ProsserTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will quantify the cost of administrating the task of(a) reducing the pensions of pensioners and (b) collecting retrospective deductions from pensioners who have been in hospital for more than (i) six and (ii) 52 weeks. [24069]
§ Mr. McCartneyI refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 6 December 2001,Official Report, column 513W.