§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list for each of the national insurance benefits the number of claimants (a) denied and (b)
Date* Benefit† Numbers paid at a reduced rate 2 June 1979 Sickness 4,000 10 May 1979 Unemployment 19,800 31 March 1979 Maternity Allowance 5,800 30 November 1978 Retirement Pension:— (a)men 104,000 (b)women on own insurance 214,000 (c)women on husband's insurance 40,000 (d)Widows on late husband's insurance (see also (g)below) 76,000 30 November 1978 Widows Benefits:- (e)widows pension (see also (g) below) 12,000 (f)Widowed Mother's allowance 19,000 (g)Age-related widows retirement pension and widows pension 9,000 Source:
1 per cent. sample of sickness benefit claimants.
Five per cent. sample of claimants to unemployment benefit or credits, 2.5 per cent. sample of maternity allowance awards in payment, 10 per cent. sample of beneficiaries of retirement and widows benefits.
*As at the same dates as given in the table. These are the latest available dates for each benefit.
†Widows' allowance, death grant and maternity grant are not payable at reduced rates because of a deficient contribution record.
§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of claimants denied unemployment benefit, sickness benefit and maternity benefit because they have exhausted their right to benefit at the latest available date.
§ Mrs ChalkerOn 14 February 1980, the latest available date, the number of claimants who had exhausted their right to unemployment benefit was 338,000. People making new claims to sickness benefit under the Social Security Act 1975 do not exhaust their title to benefit; they become entitled to invalidity benefit if they remain incapable of work for more than 28 weeks. Invalidity pension is payable up to age 70 (65 for women) or the date of retirement, if earlier.
Prior to the introduction of the 1975 Act, entitlement to sickness benefit was 358W receiving reduced benefit because of incomplete insurance records at the latest available date.
§ Mrs. ChalkerInformation about claimants not receiving benefit because they failed to satisfy the contribution conditions is available only for sickness and unemployment benefit and the estimates for these benefits are 35,900* and 178,900* respectively. The estimated numbers of persons receiving benefit at a reduced rate because of a deficient contribution record are as shown in the table below:
restricted to 312 days with no entitlement to invalidity benefit if insufficient contributions had been paid since the date of entry. Information as to the number of people who have not since requalified following such an exhaustion of sickness benefit is not readily available but there can be very few such cases. Maternity allowance is normally payable for a maximum of 18 weeks in respect of a confinement and the question of exhaustion of entitlement does not arise.