HC Deb 26 April 2004 vol 420 c856W
Chris Ruane

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioner households will benefit from the winter fuel allowance; and what amount of funding for winter fuel allowance will be given to each constituency in the UK, with constituencies grouped by region. [166684]

Malcolm Wicks

About 8.2 million pensioner households1 in Great Britain are expected to receive a winter fuel payment this winter. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible for the Northern Ireland scheme. The value of individual payments is made in each constituency so far this winter is in the table which has been placed in the Library.

1Estimate. Figures for households are rounded to the nearest 100,000.

Note: Please note that the amounts for individual payments made refer only to the main payment run, i.e. they do not include the late payment run figures. We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid via late payment runs (0.8 per cent. of all payments). However, since late payment runs are mainly in respect of non system cases whose claims had not been received by the Qualifying Week, they are heavily skewed towards men aged 60.

Source: IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample