§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners were eligible for council tax benefit in(a) 1997 and (b) 2003. [153788]
§ Mr. PondBetween 43 per cent, and 46 per cent. of pensioners in Great Britain were either in receipt of, or were entitled to but not receiving, council tax benefit in financial year 1997–98. Approximately 48 per cent, of pensioners are estimated to be entitled to council tax benefit in 2003–04.
Notes:
1. Pensioners are defined as either a single person aged at least 60 or, if within a couple, at least one person is aged 60 years or above.
2. Pensioners in Residential Care and Nursing Homes are excluded from the estimates.
3. The estimate for 1997–98 is presented as range to reflect the uncertainty in the number of estimated entitled non-recipients based on Family Resources Survey data.
4. The estimate for 2003–04 is based on the Department's Policy Simulation Model (PSM). which makes use of 2001–02 Family Resources Survey data projected forward to 2003–04 to estimate the extent of council tax benefit entitlement for each pensioner unit in the survey.
5. The estimates are based on sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors that control for tenure type, council tax band and a number of demographic variables. Estimates, particularly for 2003–04, are subject to sampling error and remaining response bias.
§ Mr. ProsserTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce assessed income periods for pensioners claiming council tax benefit; and what estimate he has made of the cost of this change. [152797]
Appeals against decisions made on the key disability and sickness benefits Benefit type and appeal tribunal decision 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 Incapacity benefit successful appeals 22,055 18,145 15,185 16,845 Not available Not available Incapacity benefit unsuccessful appeals 24,155 22,910 19,385 24,545 Not available Not available Attendance allowance successful appeals 3,480 3,960 5,035 1440 2,455 2,300 Attendance allowance unsuccessful appeals 4,135 4,350 5,640 4,180 2,635 2,410 Disability living allowance successful appeals 36,855 39,495 45,165 31,065 25,170 20,330 Disability living allowance unsuccessful appeals 32,095 32,510 40,200 31,410 25,810 21,980 For comparison purposes, the total number of beneficiaries of each benefit for each year is shown as follows rounded to the nearest 100,000.
DLA AA IB August 2003 2.5 1.4 1.5 August 2002 2.4 1.3 1.5 August 2001 2.3 1.3 1.5 August 2000 2.2 1.3 1.5 August 1999 2.1 1.3 1.5 August 1998 2 1.2 1.6 Source: DWP statistics, given for 31 August for each year shown. The Secretary of State publishes an annual report on decision-making standards in the Department for Work and Pensions. Copies are available in the Library.